Forgiven Planet
by Time Wanderer
Summary: The wait for chapter 5 is over. Cloud and company leave Kalm, only to have yet another obstacle in their way. And this isn't one anyone expected. This chapter is my first taste of battle, I hope it works out alright. Enjoy!
1. Out of the Ashes

_Disclaimer: Yeah, you all know the deal. I don't own Cloud, Tifa, or any other characters or trademarks from Final Fantasy 7. It's all property of Squaresoft._ (AN: The title "Forgiven Planet" pertains to the fact that Holy and Meteor left the planet as it was, without destroying anything like, say, the human race. Just wanted to clear that up.) 

****

"Unnhhhh…" Tifa groaned as she rolled on her side and onto her back again. She did not wake, but the stir caused Cloud to do so.  He lied awake with blurred senses for a few seconds, although it seemed to him like hours.  Still dazed and unsure of where he was or what had happened, he sat up.  When his vision finally cleared, the first clear image he could make out was that of a beautiful woman in few clothes and a seductive pose.

Cloud looked confused, but the word came to his lips almost involuntarily. "Highwind?"  Sure enough, the painted panel of the ship stared him in the face.  It was still in the same swimsuit model pose as always, regardless of the epic struggle that had taken place.  He looked around, still feeling groggy, observing the deck of the trusty airship, now in shambles.  He suddenly snapped fully into consciousness, remembering all that had happened with Sephiroth, Meteor, Holy, and all of his comrades.

He stood, only to realize that his legs had not yet the strength to do so.  A pain shot up his left leg, his knees buckled, and he caught himself with his hands before falling flat on his face.  On all fours, and his head down, he found himself staring into the face of another woman, even more beautiful than the one painted on the ship, and he smiled.

Cloud felt an odd calmness inside him while observing Tifa's inanimate face.  He leaned back and shook her lightly, while speaking in a soft voice. "Tifa… Tifa, wake up."  She stirred, groaning yet again.  Cloud let out a long held breath upon seeing that she was, in fact, alive.  Her deep, soulful brown eyes fluttered open. Slowly, she focused on Cloud's face, which blocked the sun from blinding her eyes as they adjusted to the light.

"Cloud." She said it as the answer to a question, rather than asking one, as if she expected nothing else than to see him.

Cloud smiled brightly and sat back so that he was no longer over her. "Good, you remember me." His face became slightly concerned, and his Mako blue eyes dimmed.  "Are you alright?  I was pretty dazed when I came to."

Tifa however, had already come to her senses, and regained her strength.  She grinned at him and leapt straight to her feet from her previous position flat on her back.  "Of course!  Who do you think you're dealing with, anyway?"

Cloud was shocked to see how quickly she had recovered, whereas he was still unable to stay on his feet.  His jaw dropped as she smiled at him with the same cocky, confident smile as ever, an unscathed gem among the wreckage of the Highwind.

Again she surprised him by running to the top of the small but wide crater that the Highwind had left in the ground.  She gasped in surprise, and Cloud, having not seen the final outcome of the battle between Meteor and Holy, began to worry.  She ran back down the crater to the small portion of the deck where Cloud still knelt, a telltale smile on her lips.  "We did it, Cloud!  Meteor is gone!  We did it!"  Joy overcoming her, she knelt and hugged Cloud, who still had not risen to his feet.

Cloud was overwhelmed, but he welcomed her embrace, and returned it.  "It's over. It's finally over," were the words he spoke into her shoulder, quiet yet full of emotion.  He hesitated, and sadness took a sudden strong hold on him.

          Tifa noticed his hesitation immediately.  "What's wrong, Cloud?" she asked, knowing well the answer.  She leaned away from him, breaking the embrace, and she waited to hear the one word she didn't want to hear.

          Her thoughts followed his words precisely as he answered her.  Sadness, but not tears, filling his bright eyes, he replied slowly.  "Aeris… I wish… she were here."

          "Me, too," Tifa lied.  She had never disliked Aeris, though she did feel a great deal of jealousy towards her.  After all, she had known Cloud ever since she was old enough to walk, although they had been better friends in the last ten years than in the first ten.  Only lately had she seen Cloud in the same light as she did now, but still, it seemed to her that Aeris barged in on her place.  Aeris suddenly got closer to Cloud than she had ever been, and she didn't like the feeling of being number two.  Although she was saddened when Aeris was killed, deep down, another part of her also felt relief.  She tried to suppress these feelings as much as possible, as they made her feel very guilty and selfish.  Nevertheless, Aeris was no longer competition to her, and the thought was a strange, unsettling comfort to her.

          "Tifa? Tifa, are you listening?"  Cloud asked, and Tifa realized that she had just spaced out while Cloud had been talking.  

"Yeah, I'm listening," she bluffed, and tried to pick up on what he had been talking about.

"So, what do you think?  Will you come with me?"

She smiled, because even though she wasn't sure where she was going with him, it didn't matter, as long as she could stay with him.  "Of course, Cloud.  I'd follow you anywhere."

Cloud smiled, and yet there was that hazy look of concern in his eyes again.  "You're sure?  I mean, you don't have to, I'd understand.  You're sure you're alright with it?  It could be dangerous, and besides…"

Tifa interrupted him in mid-sentence, and she retained that same gracious smile as before, although the offer seemed much less attractive now than before.  "Yes, I'm fine.  I mean, after all of this," she gestured to all of her surroundings, the Highwind wreckage, the direction of Midgar, and even the sky itself, "You're gonna talk to me about DANGEROUS?" She giggled.  "And besides that, why would I have a problem with it?"

Cloud laughed and shrugged his shoulders.  "Well, I don't know.  I just thought you… nevermind.  I guess it does sound silly, making a big deal out of something so small after we saved the planet, huh?"  He smiled warmly.  "Thank you, Tifa.  I'm glad you're coming with me."

"I'm glad, too. But," she looked around; "I'm concerned.  Nobody else has turned up. Shouldn't we look for them?"

He nodded.  "I was going to, but… well, I found you first, and I kind of lost track of everything else."

Tifa blushed at his words, and found herself without a reply, so she merely turned around and said, "Come on, let's go find the others!"  

She began walking away, expecting Cloud to follow, and he did try.  The pain in his leg foiled his efforts again.  He yelped as a searing pain numbed his whole left leg, and he collapsed back onto the hardwood platform.

Always alert, Tifa whirled around and saw him, face down.  "Cloud! What is it?"  She noticed him clutching his left leg.

"It's nothing, Tifa.  I'm just a little banged up, that's all. Must've happened in the crash.  Just go, I'll catch up," he said, while wincing and lying on his stomach.  He tried to put on a strong front, but he was actually worried about what may be wrong with his leg.

Tifa read his phony expression like a book, and started back towards him.  Cloud tried to stop her, assuring her there was nothing to worry about, but she never faltered.  Secretly, he appreciated her concern, but didn't want her to worry about him.  So he stopped refusing as she knelt beside him.

"Where does it hurt?" she asked, full of concern.

Cloud hesitated, then answered, "My left leg.  A little above my knee."

Tifa rolled him over with arms that were much stronger than they looked, frowned, and some color came to her cheeks.  " You're bleeding, Cloud," she said, looking at the crimson stain in the left leg of his pants. "I'm… gonna need to take a look at it," she managed to get out.

Cloud lifted his head and stared at her. "So then that means you have to…"

Tifa nodded, not waiting for him to finish. "Yeah. I'm going to have to partially undress you a little bit.

Cloud sighed and slammed his head back down.  "Oh, good, and here I was afraid it was going to be something _awkward_," he said sarcastically.

Tifa glared at him. "Look, you could be seriously injured. I need to see what's going on, so I can take your to a doctor if need be, okay? Now come on, let me take a look," she said, trying to be the mature adult in the situation.

There was another sigh from the blond-haired man. "Alright, do it," he said finally. He tried not to let his relief show on his face, since the pain had begun to blur his vision.

Tifa looked suspiciously at him. He usually didn't give in that easily. What was he trying to pull?  She tapped his leg lightly, but firmly, as a test.

Cloud howled in pain.  "Tifa! What're you doing down there?!"

Tifa felt a little guilty, but she was satisfied with her experiment.  "Just checking to make sure you weren't bluffing me. You're wearing something under these, right?"

He glared at her.  "Yes, I am. Look, just get it over with, would you?  I'm not any more excited about this than you are."

Tifa didn't look him in the eyes.  "Sure you're not," she said, and gingerly pulled his pants down to his knees.  Both their faces turned different shades of red at that moment, but Tifa's changed when a gigantic purple-black bruise was revealed, covering the whole of Cloud's upper left leg.  There was a small cut in the center of it, and while it was not wide, it was deep.  It looked as though a small knife had cut straight into his leg in a stabbing motion, then pulled straight out.

"Oh, damn," she exclaimed. "That's hideous!"

"What? What is it?!"  Cloud asked, a little bit panic-stricken, and

he tried to sit up.

Tifa put a hand on his forehead and pushed him gently back to the deck before answering him.  "Well, I don't think anything's broken, but… you have a huge bruise on your leg.  You must have hit it on something during the crash.  It's no little thing, I must admit; it's no wonder you couldn't stand up.  Oh, and, sorry for hitting it."

"It's fine, but what're we gonna do about it?"

Tifa's expression went blank.  "I don't know. I'm not a doctor or anything." She dug around in her pocket for a couple seconds, searching for something.  "Got it!" she exclaimed, and pulled out a small vial of liquid.  "This is all I have, Cloud. A potion I was saving, just in case. All the others were probably destroyed in the crash.  We shouldn't have to use it for anything else, so, you might as well use it now."

Cloud took the vial and swallowed the liquid.  He felt a bit of a jolt through his body, but his leg still hurt.  He looked down at it, and it was no less bruised than before.  "Tifa, I don't think it's working," he said with a frown.  "How long have you had that potion?"

She looked at the label on the vial, and sighed. "Too long. It expired a year ago. I've just always had it with me for a situation like this. I guess we'll have to think of something else, but that should at least keep it from getting infected."

All the while, Cloud was getting uncomfortable in his situation.  "That's fine, but do you think you could pull my pants back up? I mean, we know what we're working with, so…"

Tifa giggled.  "Sure, Cloud." No less timidly than before, she grabbed the waistline of his pants, and slowly began to pull them back up to their original position, being careful of his injury.  Though she had managed to fight it the whole time she was playing doctor with him, she finally let curiosity get the better of her.  She shot a quick glance between his legs, and tried to pretend she hadn't.

Cloud was not fooled. "TIFA!"

Tifa's face flushed in red and her ears got hot.  She said nothing.  Hastily she pulled her hands back, leaving his pants still where they were. She smiled inwardly despite herself. _Just like I always imagined, she thought to herself. _

All of a sudden, a familiar voice came from around the corner of some engine wreckage.  "Aw, geez.  I know you two like each other, but get a room, awright?"

Tifa shrieked and jumped back from Cloud.  "Barrett!  How long have you been standing there?!"

Barrett, who was apparently unharmed, the same as Tifa had been, grinned from ear to ear.  "Why you wanna know? 'Zere something I shouldn't know about?  You hidin' somethin', Tifa?"

Tifa's face was completely flushed.  "N….no! He's injured!"

Cloud winced, but mustered the strength to do a sit-up and pull his pants back up to a decent level.  He was surprised to find that the pain from the injury had seemed to spread from his upper leg to all throughout his midsection.  He tried, and was able to hide his discomfort, so as not to draw any more concern to himself.  He glared at Barrett once he leaned back to the deck.  "Don't be an idiot, Barrett.  Have you seen anyone else around?"

Barrett shook his head sadly.  "Not a soul.  You're the first ones I found."

Cloud frowned.  "That's not what I wanted to hear." He hesitated.  "You two go look for survivors. I'll be fine here until you get back."

"Since when do I take orders from you?" asked Barrett, with mock aggression.

"Since I joined Avalanche, whether you know it or not."

Barrett rolled his eyes, but he was in too good a mood to let himself be irritated.

Meanwhile, Tifa found herself troubled by the aspect of leaving Cloud alone and injured.  "Cloud, I have a better idea…"

*  *  *  *  *

"You okay there, Cloud?" Tifa asked, a wide smile drifting on and off her lips as she tried not to laugh.

"I'm not hurt, Tifa… just my pride."

Barrett led the way through scattered wreckage while Tifa followed behind.  Cloud, however, was nestled neatly in Tifa's delicate-looking, yet exceedingly strong arms.  She carried him in a typical fashion, one arm supporting his legs, one arm supporting his head.

Barrett finally broke down and busted out laughing at him.

          Cloud groaned.  "Tifa, put me down," he objected, "this is humiliating."

          Tifa smiled in spite of herself.  "Nonsense.  You're staying right here, whether you like it or not."

          Cloud knew Tifa well, and he knew it was useless to argue once she had made up her mind.  Reluctantly, he submitted to her and stopped squirming.  Though he was hesitant to get used to it at first, he finally found himself not only used to it, but rather comfortable.

          The trio found themselves among still more scattered shrapnel, some large pieces of fuselage, some small as a nut or bolt.  It seemed to them that the Highwind had not left a crater, but a long, deep trench, indicating that the airship probably slid on the ground for a while before stopping.  To the best of their calculations, they started at the point were the ship stopped.  There was no indication where the crash started, and the trench was endless from their viewpoint.

          Tifa gasped as she nearly stepped on a small piece of tattered crimson, such material as they had all seen before.  "Over here, Barrett! I think it's Vincent!" she called out to Barrett, who had gone several paces ahead.  She set Cloud on the ground nearby and started searching under some of the larger fuselage.  Barrett did the same once he reached her.  They all called out for him while searching, but there came no reply.  Tifa was the one to overturn the right piece; a panel from near the back of the ship.  An unconscious Vincent lay there, still breathing.

          Tifa was silent while searching him for injuries.  Eventually, she found a part of his cloak on his right shoulder that was stained deeper red than the rest of it.  She sighed.  "I feel like the group's new medic, or something."

          Barrett grinned at her.  "Well, you've always had that gentle womanly touch, Tifa."

          Tifa kicked at him playfully, but then she was all business.  "I need some spare cloth."  They all looked around at one another.  Cloud tore a strip of cloth off the bottom of his vest, since none of them had a sleeve.  He tossed it to Tifa.  She pulled Vincent's cloak back over his shoulder, so she could examine the wound.  It was a gash into his shoulder, probably from more flying ship parts, but the cut wasn't deep.  She tied the cloth around his shoulder, tight, but not so tight as to cut off the circulation to his arm. Vincent's face twitched and twisted slightly, as if he were enduring pain in a dream as Tifa worked.

          "There, all done," she said after a time.  Vincent shifted and his eyes slowly drifted open.  His eyes focused on Tifa, then on Barrett, as they stood over him.  He then looked over to his shoulder, then back to Tifa.  "Did you…" he began to ask, but he trailed off.

Tifa caught his meaning, and nodded.  "It's not deep, just try to keep it still, or you'll reopen it."

Vincent sat up, looking at Tifa with the same mysterious coldness as always, but his voice was softer and kinder.  "Thank you," he said simply to her.  He glanced over at Cloud, still expressionless behind his scarf.  Cloud stared back at him, and there was an awkward silence.

Barrett finally broke the silence.  "Awright, so we oughta get moving again, people!  Vincent, you coming with us?"

Vincent looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he nodded.  "It's the least I can do."

Vincent, who had no trouble walking, went ahead with Barrett while Tifa continued to carry Cloud, lagging a little behind.  Cloud, meanwhile, had settled in quite nicely to Tifa's arms.  He had gone from uncomfortable at first, to now, where he found her soft touch very appealing.  Tifa sensed his leisurely appearance, and spoke in a playful tone to him, "Don't get too comfortable, Miss.  Wouldn't want you getting any ideas, now."

Cloud, while a little embarrassed, laughed at her jest.  "You're never gonna let me live this down, are you?"

Tifa giggled at him and pretended to think.  "Hmmmmm… nope, probably not.  No, this is one for the ages, right here."

Cloud was too comfortable to argue, so he figured he would enjoy the moment while it lasted, since he would be heckled about it for the rest of his life.  His eyes drifted away from Tifa and back over the bleak scenery of the Highwind's grave-trench, looking for signs of his partners.

Tifa gazed fondly at Cloud while he peered through the dimming light of the now setting sun.  As she watched him, she nearly lost step on a small fragment of a propeller.  She caught herself in a single hard step, but it was enough to shake her from her daydream.  Tifa hurried her pace when she found that both of her comrades were waiting for her, next to a third, slumped figure.

She rushed up and immediately recognized a blond-haired man with his head in his hands.  His flight goggles hung limp around his neck.

Cid Highwind looked up at the group that had approached him.  Much to everyone's surprise, his face was red and his eyes were teary.  "This ship…" he began, "it's all I had."

Cloud was shocked that Cid would show this much emotion over his creation.  He was much more accustomed to seeing the pilot play the tough guy.

Cid's emotions seemed to be tilting between sadness and anger, for his expression quickly changed, as did his voice.  "What are you all looking at? What, because I'm human, too?  Is there a problem with me being a little emotional?  Well, save your pity.  I'm a man, dammit!"

Tifa looked at him with a great deal of compassion.  "Cid, I… we're glad you're okay."

"Yeah?" Cid began, as if he was about to say something rude or sarcastic, but his face softened, as did his voice. "Me, too. It's good to see you all safe." After saying that, he hardened his emotions again and put on his poker face, the side of him his companions were more used to seeing.  "So, is it over or not?  I mean, Meteor's gone, Shinra's gone, but is Sephiroth gone?"

Cloud shrugged, a difficult motion for him in his position.  "Who knows?  Sephiroth challenged me one-on-one in some pseudo-reality world, and I think I killed him… but everything's so messed up, I can't be sure."

"Whatever," Cid responded, "just as long as he doesn't screw around with us or the planet anymore.  I just want to go home."

          Everyone nodded in agreement.  That seemed to sum up each of their thoughts, in a nutshell.

          "Me, too." Cloud said quietly, but audibly.

          "Me, too," said Tifa, looking at Cloud thoughtfully.

          "Yeah, me, too."  Barrett said, his thoughts clouded with Marlene.

          Vincent remained silent for a while, staring off into the distance.  Finally he spoke.  "I would like to say the same, but I'm afraid I have no place to call with such fondness as you all have.  I imagine I will do some traveling. Staying in one place for too long is so boring."

          Everyone looked at him, trying not to show too much pity for him.  Having heard Vincent talk like that, even having a home made them all feel guilty in his presence.  And still, Vincent's eyes showed no sadness, no regret, as Cid got to his feet, and they walked on.

          Once again, the group walked ahead of Tifa and Cloud, giving Tifa time to ask him a question that had arisen in her.  "Cloud, I was just thinking."

          "What's the matter, Tifa?"

          "Well, you said you wanted to go home."

          "Yeah, so?"

          "So…" she started to ask, but she hesitated.  "So, where is home to you?  Is it Midgar?"  She showed curiosity on the outside, but on the inside, she winced, hoping she wouldn't have to deal with an affirmative response.

          Cloud hesitated a tiny bit before he responded.  "Tifa, Midgar is where all of this began.  Sephiroth, SOLDIER, Shinra, all of that came from Midgar.  It's a big part of my life, though, and I have a lot of history there.  It's hard to forget a place like that."

          Tifa smiled bitterly.  "I understand."

          Cloud nodded at her. "I'm glad you understand. 'Cause I'm going home.  To Nibelheim."

          Tifa was so surprised, and so overcome with joy that she nearly dropped him.  "You mean it, Cloud?  You're going back to Nibelheim?"

          Cloud laughed.  "Of course!  You really think I'm gonna go back to that city after all that happened there?  Place is half destroyed, anyway.  Of course, I can't go home immediately.  First I have to do that thing I told you about."

          Tifa was grinning ear-to-ear, and didn't pay much mind to his last comment, as she began to daydream.  "Of course you do, Cloud.  That's fine."

          "Hey, lovers!" came a voice from ahead.  Both looking towards the sound, they saw Cid standing with a sly grin.  It soon melted into his poker face again, and he looked to the same place as Barrett and Vincent, a small pile of nuts and bolts on the ground, on top of a flat white cloth and some stuffing.  "Better look at this, you two.  What do you make of it?"

          Barrett reached for the cloth and flipped it over, sliding the stuffing and parts onto the ground.  The other side of the cloth revealed the face of a Mog.  He sighed and shook his head.  "It's just like I thought. Cait Sith."

          "Oh, no," Tifa groaned.

          They all stood for a moment, silent.  Then Cloud spoke. "Wait a minute, you guys. This is stupid! Cait Sith is a puppet, so it doesn't matter that he's gone!  What we want is the puppeteer!"

          "Reeve," they all said at the same time.

          "But," Vincent began, "Reeve is in Midgar."  He gazed over towards the city, barely visible from the deep trench where they all stood.  "Hard to tell if anyone at all could have survived there," he said matter-of-factly.

          "Well, don't you think we oughta go an' at least try ta find 'im?" Barrett said.  Everyone looked at him, and he responded to them by saying, "Yeah, I know, I know, he's Shinra, he's a spy, whatever.  But ya know what?  He's awright by me, and we oughta at least see if he's alive."

          Cloud nodded, "But let's find the other two first, and then see who's coming to Midgar and who's not. Yuffie and Red XIII are still out here somewhere."  He added, "And Tifa, put me down already. I'm sure I can walk with some assistance."

          Tifa was extremely fatigued from carrying him, but made no move to show it, and was still reluctant to do as he asked.  "Are you sure, Cloud? I mean, your leg is pretty badly hurt."

          "I'm sure, Tifa.  I can feel my dignity slipping away by the second, and at this point my pride hurts more than my leg."

          "Hmph, so it's just a stupid man thing?  Fine, I'll put you down." Tifa said in a half-mocking, half-joking manner.  She placed him on his feet, which was a big relief to Cloud. Although he would miss being that close to Tifa, especially being in the spot that he had worked into, admittedly at the top of her torso.  Of course, this would be something that Cloud would never admit to Tifa for a long time to come.

          As Cloud was thinking all of this, his face began to flush, and Tifa became suddenly very self-conscious of the fact that he had carried Cloud for about a quarter of a mile, that close to her chest.  Her impressively developed breasts had always made her self-conscious, since they had always attracted a legion of men her way.  She had lived about the past five years of her life dealing with guys talking to her with their heads always drifting down away from her face.  Cloud was one of the few men she had met that did not do this to her, which was one of the reasons she started liking him in the first place.  However, having now given him a pretty close shot of them for what seemed to her like forever, but was really only about forty-five minutes, she was rather embarrassed of herself.  She opted against asking what was the matter with Cloud, and walked ahead, her arms crossed, and a bit of attitude building up in her.

          Barrett, Cid, and Vincent, who had silently watched this entire scene with amusement, now walked on ahead, searching for the last two members of their party, Red XIII and Yuffie.  Cid paused and turned back, seeing Cloud standing alone, favoring his left leg.  Tifa had gone on with the group, and Cloud was still unable to walk alone, so he came back to Cloud and put an arm around his shoulders, giving him support enough to walk on one leg.  "Easy, now.  This is all you get. I'll be damned if I'm gonna carry your scrawny ass."

          Cloud smiled. "Don't worry, if I wanted to be carried, I'd have never told Tifa to put me down."  The two began to move forward, though slowly, and the group had already gone far ahead of them.

          After a few steps, when Cid was convinced that the other three were out of earshot, he started talking in a lower voice.  "So, listen, kid.  What would possess you to have her put you down?  I mean, everyone can tell you like her.  And why shouldn't you?  Tifa's a gorgeous young girl, after all… and in the position you were in, well, that's not a place a man can just _ask for."_

          Cloud sighed and shook his head.  "I know, I know.  But after a while, I think I was getting a little _too_ much enjoyment out of it, and it made me feel a little guilty.  So I had her put me down on a basis of conscience, that's all."

          "Look, kid, I've been around the block a few times, and there ain't nothing wrong with enjoying a woman's company." Cid lowered his voice a little. "And there ain't nothing wrong with enjoying her chest, either.  I mean, let's face facts, here. I know I'm not telling you anything you don't know when I say that girl's got a rack that brings grown men to tears."

          Cloud smiled despite himself. "I've been there. But still, I've known her forever. I just couldn't enjoy the guilty pleasure any longer, that's all."

          "Well, alright, it sounds like you know what you're doing.  I won't argue with your spiky-headed ass.  But, I said it before, everyone knows you and Tifa have something, or it seems everyone knows it except you and her. Well, I'm just saying, maybe you should act on it."

          Cloud was completely shocked, once again.  Cid seemed like an entirely different person since they had found him.  The "tough-guy" in him had almost completely diminished, and behind it was a highly emotional man who read people's feelings like books.  Cloud said nothing, and he hopped along on one leg, leaning on Cid for support.

          Up ahead, Barrett was having a similar talk with Tifa.

          "I do not!" came Tifa's reply.

          "Yeah, ya do, and everyone knows it.  The only one who hasn't picked up on it is Cloud!  But, whether ya know it or not, he likes you, too.  Think about it.  When he had to pick two people to come with him, how often were you one of them?"

          Tifa's eyes widened slightly as that thought entered her mind, and then she looked away.  "Oh, stop that, Barrett."

          "See?  Ya know I'm right."

          Vincent, who had tried to pretend he was uninterested in the conversation, said, "He is right, Tifa.  Even I can see it.  After all of this, there are now important things to consider.  We've fought to keep our lives and the lives of everyone on this planet.  But now that we've won, ask yourself something.  What are you going to do with this life that you've fought so hard to preserve?  Where will you go? Who with? These things are what truly matters."

          Tifa, like Cloud, was shocked at her comrade's sudden change in personality, and hearing a point she couldn't argue with, she fell silent.

          Silently, Vincent walked over to a rather large pile of fuselage, and carefully examined a small tuft of red hair stuck on a metal grate.  "He's here," were his words, simple, but unmistakable.  He began flinging metal aside to the best of his ability, favoring his injured right shoulder.  Tifa and Barrett joined in, and they dug through metal scraps for about ten minutes before Barrett found more red fur.  "Yo, I think he's over here!" was his call.  Soon after, the three uncovered a lifeless red panther-like creature with the roman numeral XIII tattooed on him.  Vincent checked for a pulse, then listened for breath.

          A very worried Tifa stood nearby, waiting for a signal from Vincent.  "Is he breathing?"

          "It's very faint, but yes.  He needs some medical attention immediately, I think he has some broken ribs.  He was badly crushed in that pile."

          "Well, ya think he'll make it?" Barrett asked, equally worried.

          Vincent was silent for a moment, before saying, "Hard to tell. As I said, he needs medical attention.  I will take him to Kalm immediately."

          "But… you're injured! That's unreasonable, Vincent, you can't take him to Kalm on foot by yourself!

Cid and Cloud reached the scene at that moment, and shared a look of concern upon seeing Red XIII's motionless form.  "Is he…" Cloud began.

          "He's barely alive." Vincent said.  "I will take him to Kalm, and get him some medical help.  I believe his rib cage may be partially crushed, and he probably has some internal bleeding. A doctor may be able to help him, but even still, his future is uncertain."

          Everyone fell silent.  Vincent picked Red XIII up, being cautious but firm, and slung the creature over his good shoulder.  "You should find Yuffie, then come to Kalm. Red XIII and I will be waiting there."

          Everyone nodded in unison, nobody wanting to argue with him anymore.  Vincent climbed out of the trench, and walked northwest, quickly disappearing from sight.

          "Find me? Who's gonna find me?  Hah, I found _you" said a voice from behind.  Everybody whirled quickly, with the exception of Cloud, who clumsily hopped around to face in the other direction._

          Obviously, Yuffie stood there on top of yet another pile of wreckage.  "I wouldn't trust this bunch to find their own right arms."

          Cloud grinned. "Yeah, we're glad to see you, too, Yuffie."

          The young female warrior attempted a look of indifference, but smiled it away. "I know you are. You're helpless without me, anyway."

          _Good to know somebody's the same as they were before. Cid and Vincent were starting to creep me out. Cloud thought with a smile._

          Yuffie leapt down to where the group stood. Her grin faded when she saw the grave looks of the people around her.  "I heard. Let's get going to Kalm."

          Wordlessly, the group agreed, and finding a spot in the trench that wasn't as deep as the rest, they climbed out. Tifa had to pick Cloud up again, since the slope was too steep for him to handle, but she put him back down once they reached level ground. And so, reminiscent of their early days together, the small band of victorious warriors left the direction of Midgar and headed to Kalm, not knowing anything that was in store for them in the future.

          As they began the hike to the small town, Yuffie stayed in back, hiding the huge gash running across her lower back, covered in dried blood.


	2. Kalm

          Few words were spoken between the group of five, consisting of Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Cid, and Yuffie, for much of the time it took to walk to the small town of Kalm. Other than the obvious things like Sephiroth and whether Red XIII would live to see another day, each of them had something on their minds that they didn't feel like discussing at the time, so everyone remained silent, preoccupied with their own thoughts.

          Tifa was, of course, absorbed with thoughts of Cloud and what his true feelings were for her. A hard thing to consider as he hung onto her shoulder, hobbling on one good leg. She even caught herself a couple of times daydreaming about marriage, having a family and living peacefully in Nibelheim with him into their old age. She shook the thoughts off. _C'mon, girl, keep it together. Now is not the time for that,_ she quickly reminded herself.

          Cloud's mind was the usual blur, dealing with one complicated situation after another. Foremost on his mind was the 20-year-old brunette who was supporting part of his weight as they hiked on, and at the same time, also the 22-year-old lighter-haired brunette who he had known for such a short time. He missed her sorely.

Of course, he loved Tifa. All his logic said that it would be easy to live out his days normally with her and be happy. What Cid had said to him was true, and he knew it. _"Everyone knows you and Tifa have something… maybe you should act on it."_ The words replayed over and over in his mind. He glanced sidelong at Tifa, who met his gaze and smiled at him sweetly. Neither of them said anything, but their thoughts were, for the most part, in unison.

_I love her,_ Cloud thought to himself.

"I love you," Tifa said aloud.

Cloud's blinked, taken aback. "You… what?"

Tifa, unaware that she had said that out loud, looked at him like he was crazy. "What? I didn't say… did I just say that out loud? Tell me I didn't just…" She paused as the look in Cloud's eyes answered her question. She looked ahead desperately for someone to take Cloud from her shoulder, to avoid this situation she was in. Cid, Barrett, neither of them were close one to hear what had just happened, but they were all in plain sight.  And none were close enough for her to transfer the blonde man she was supporting. Her face flushed deeply red as she tried to find a way out of this awkward situation. Little did she know one would be provided for her.

          Cloud opened his mouth to respond. Tifa's heart jumped up into her throat, left with nothing to do but hope his response was compliant with what she had let slip out to him. "I…" He was cut off by Yuffie walking up from behind them and turning to face them, walking backwards. "'Bout time," she said with a grin. "A blind man could've seen that one coming." She whirled again and walked ahead, revealing to them the dried laceration that crossed her entire lower back from her right hip to her bottom rib on her left side.

          "Do you see…" Cloud began, all thoughts of the earlier situation temporarily diminished.

          Tifa nodded. "Yeah. She's awfully tough for a 16-year-old. She's not even walking funny." She grinned at Cloud, and his arm draped over her shoulder. "Wuss."

          Cloud smiled and fell silent, not much wanting to argue with the woman who had just admitted a love for him. The two of them didn't exchange another word until they reached Kalm.

*   *   *   *   *

          Cloud and Tifa could see their counterparts waiting up for them at the edge of the small country town. They seemed to be involved in a conversation of their own, and while neither of the two could hear what they were saying, they both took note to the fact that they all kept glancing over at different moments, and nodding to each other.  Tifa rolled her eyes as she put two and two together. She glanced at Cloud, who had a similar expression on his face. They had, for the most part, let the earlier situation escape them, both of them stewing about it in their own minds.

          As they approached the rest of the group, Barrett and Cid took turns looking amusedly at the unofficial couple, as Yuffie tried to look uninterested.  Not wanting to deal with them at the moment, Tifa changed the soon-to-be subject. "Where's the hospital?" Vincent and Red should be there by now."

          Hearing this, everyone snapped back into reality. Solemn looks could be seen on all their faces.  Tifa knew the answer to her question, but was happy to have come up with something before questions about Cloud and herself starting flying around.

          "This way, I think," Barrett said, as he started walking off into the town. Everyone followed, none of them having spent enough time in the town to know any better.

          Minutes later, they came across a small, run-down looking three story building, with a small, partially rotted wooden sign that read, "K lm  Hos it l."

          "You're kidding me, right?" were the first words, coming from Yuffie. "I'm trusting my health to this place?" Nobody argued, and everyone's expressions seemed to agree with the smallish Wutian.

          Cloud replied. "Look, I'm not crazy about the place, either. But we'd better hope they're a better medical place than they look, or else Red is history." Barrett and Cid walked in wordlessly. "And Yuffie, don't be so selfish. It's not all about you." he added.

          Yuffie glared at him. "Shut up and let your woman carry you in," she retorted.

          Cloud gave a look to Tifa, who, getting his meaning, backed away and let him walk on his own power.  The pain was bad, but he had been able to deal with it, and it was more of a dull throb now than a sharp pain.  He took a couple of shaky steps before glancing back to Yuffie with a cocky grin.   Tifa shook her head and smiled amusedly at his machismo as he walked by the young warrior.  Yuffie reached a concealed hand down to his left leg and gave it a flick.

          Cloud groaned in response and, waving his arms towards Yuffie, fell to the ground. The young Wutian easily sidestepped his flailing, with nothing but a few fingertips grazing her clothing.  He rolled on his side to look up at Yuffie. "Bitch," he muttered.  Yuffie gave a triumphant grin and turned her back, walking in with the others.  

_Well, at least he feels good enough to screw around,_ Tifa thought to herself. Somewhat less worried about Cloud than she had been before, she strode over and helped him to his feet.  She looked after the girl as she walked into the ragged building. "Wow, you really showed her, Cloud."

          She expected a glare from Cloud, which she would have in turn giggled at.  Instead he grinned widely at her, invoking the brunette to ask, "What's that look about? I expect you'd be pissed right about now, since Yuffie just humiliated you."

          Cloud grinned wider. "Not so." He held up a small, round, grayish object with four holes in the middle.

          Tifa stared at him for a second. "It's a button. So?"

          The blond man began his reply. "She won't notice for a little while. Only when she tries to make a sudden movement with her arms or something. When that happens…" He was cut short by the doors of the hospital flinging open again, and a red-faced Yuffie storming straight towards them, her arms concealing a single exposed breast.

          "You BASTARD!" She screamed at the blond. Cloud tossed the button to her, and she snatched it back with a scowl. "Think that belongs to you," he said in an amused tone.

          "Remind me later I have to kick your ass." Yuffie retorted, as she tucked herself back into her top. She turned around and walked back into the hospital without waiting for a response.

          Cloud laughed hysterically, and Tifa again just shook her head, grinning. "You never grow up, do you, Cloud?" the brunette woman asked as they walked up to the building, Cloud still limping on his own power, but with Tifa near enough to catch him if he stumbled.

          "Nope." Cloud replied with a grin, "and you, Miss Lockheart, had best watch your back, as well."

          Tifa, a little shocked, while at the same time secretly gratified and flattered, gave him a "don't even think about it" look.

          "Okay, fine, fine." Cloud said with a grin, reading her meaning.

          They walked a few silent steps more up the steps of the building, and Tifa jumped in surprise as she felt Cloud's fingers pinch her rear end.

*  *  *  *  *

          A flustered Tifa Lockheart walked into a bright white room 218, followed by a still grinning Cloud Strife.  Cid, Barrett, and Yuffie were already in there, the two men sitting in chairs, the young Ninja leaning against a wall still holding her top together, and a tall, dark-haired man with a neatly bandaged shoulder occupying the bed.  The scarf and headband that normally covered most of his face were gone, and his hair fell freely around his newly disclosed face, framing it nicely. Tifa caught herself staring at him for a moment before snapping out of it.  _How could I have traveled so long with Vincent,_ she thought to herself, _and not known how cute he was until now?_  She looked away, only to find Yuffie staring at her from the other side of the room.  She grinned and nodded silently, as if to say, _Yeah, I know._

          Yuffie observed the room around them. "This place doesn't look as shabby on the inside as it does on the outside.

Ignoring the 16-year-old's comment, Cloud asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to. "How's…" he hesitated to ask the man in the bed, "how's Red XIII doing?"

          "He's critical," Vincent began, "but stable. They say if he makes it through the next hour, he's got a good chance for full recovery.  A small miracle when you consider the fact that seven of his ribs were broken, as well as a leg. It's a lucky thing the veterinary clinic works in conjunction with the hospital, and they apparently do well in emergency surgery, otherwise he would not be alive right now."

          The blond nodded.  "Jenova," he said simply.

          Everyone looked at him.

          "Red XIII was an experiment by that freak, Hojo." Cloud continued, "where he was implanted with Jenova cells. It's probably those alone that are keeping him alive. But…" he hesitated, "with Jenova itself gone, the Jenova cells in him will probably die off soon.  And then…"

          "It all depends on his will to survive." Tifa finished for him.

          Cloud nodded.

          "How soon?" Cid asked, uncharacteristically softy.

          Cloud shrugged. "Who knows? Minutes, hours, days?  I don't even know if I'll know when it happens.  But somehow I know it will. It's like there's something inside me that's winding down, shriveling up. It doesn't hurt; I can't even really feel it. I just kind of… sense it."

          The remark earned him concerned looks from everyone in the room.  Knowing him just as he was, just as Cloud, it was hard to remember that he, too, had been infused with Jenova cells.

          "I know of what you speak, Cloud," came Vincent's response after a long pause.  "It feels as though a foreign substance inside of me is withering away."

          Cloud looked at him in response, but offered no words. He merely nodded.  A long awkward pause followed, as memories of the past struggle resurfaced in everyone's minds, having been reminded of Jenova.

          Tifa was the first to snap out of the trance that had seemingly swallowed the room.  "What are we doing?" She blurted suddenly, snapping everyone else out of his or her trance at the same time.  "We've got two injured people here, and we're standing right in the middle of a hospital! We need to get you two," she gestured toward Cloud and Yuffie, "a bed."

          The comment met with objections from both of them, each saying they'd be fine and didn't need a bed, but Tifa wouldn't hear of it. In truth, the match that had started outside the hospital between Yuffie and Cloud was still going on, each of them trying to prove their toughness over the other.  Tired of their obstinate behavior, Tifa rolled her eyes and left the room to check the two of them in at the front desk, whether they liked it or not.

          Barrett grinned at both Cloud and Yuffie. "Looks like you're gettin' a room, after all, you two."  Yuffie scoffed and looked away to a bare wall. Cloud had begun to take on a sick expression, and had clenched his stomach.  Barrett looked at him oddly, and everyone else's glance followed.  "Hey… you awright, Cloud?"

          Cloud groaned. "I don't feel so good. I'll be back in a sec." He stumbled out of the room, and began trying to find a bathroom. It didn't make sense, what was happening to him.  One minute he felt fine, and the next, his insides twisted into knots. His stomach lurched again, and he tried his best to quicken his pace. He felt his way along the wall, his left leg still not very reliable, until he toppled into the women's bathroom. Paying this fact no mind, he continued in. His vision began to double, and he managed to throw open the door of a stall (which, luckily, was empty,) and tumble in. No sooner did he fall to his knees but his insides again raged against him, and his stomach heaved, too strong to be held back this time. It was unlike any sickness the 21-year-old had ever felt. It was too strong to be a simple flu. His vision was nearly gone, and he could only tell where he was by his two hands on either side of the toilet bowl. He could feel himself losing consciousness as he expelled another wave. He gathered enough sense to push himself to the side and land on the floor before blacking out.

*  *  *  *  *

          Yuffie Kisaragi sported a very irritated look as a nurse wheeled her fresh bed away to a separate room. She was beyond trying to argue anymore as she lay on her front side, as instructed, so as to keep her injury from further damage.

Tifa watched the bed until it turned the corner, before turning back to Barrett behind her and asking, "Now where did you say Cloud was again?"

          Barrett shrugged. "Said he didn't feel right, and he took off outta here. To a bathroom, I guess. That was about…" he checked a clock on the wall, "half an hour ago."

          Tifa frowned. "I hope he's alright. I need to use the bathroom, too. If he gets back before I do, get him to room 211. He's got doctors waiting for him there."

          Barrett nodded in response before the brunette strolled down the hall and into the ladies' room. She took the first stall, and, after relieving herself, began to walk back out. Some unexplainable feeling, like a chill, made her freeze in place, turn around, and spot a single stall door slightly cracked open. Normally she would have paid this no mind, had it not been for the presence of an extremely familiar boot.

          "C…Cloud?" She stuttered out. No answer came from the stall. She instantly became embarrassed, thinking that he had spied on her from underneath the stalls. _Since when did Cloud become such a lech?_ Tifa thought first. She swung the door open, and what she saw shocked her. Cloud was laid out on his front side, breathing heavily in his unconscious state. She took a step forward to claim him from the floor, and caught a glimpse of what rested in the toilet bowl.  She backed away two steps in horror. "What the…" is as far as the young woman could get. Within the bowl laid a bright blue liquid mass, one that seemed almost to be alive. It bubbled and writhed around, as if it were dying of something burning it slowly to nothing. Tifa gasped as she realized what the mass was. "Jenova," she whispered, as if trying to keep it from hearing her. She looked at Cloud.

_It's the same color as his eyes. It must be from him. He was talking about the Jenova cells leaving his body at some point. That's gotta be it. So then… is the Jenova dying?_

She broke from her thoughts to peer into the bowl again, where the mass looked much the same in activity but had gotten slightly smaller.

_It is. I've gotta get Cloud outta here, but I can't risk someone coming in here! I don't know what that… thing is capable of! What if it can make itself a new home in a new body?_

She paused, letting this thought sink in. She began to run through a list of options.

_Got it._

Considering this the best option for the moment, and not having much time to think of anything clever, she dragged Cloud out a little by his ankles. Once she got him a fair distance away from the Jenova-infested toilet bowl, she picked him up and took him into the hospital hallway, where she laid him down and screamed, "HELP!" once, before rushing back in to the stall where the blue mass continued to wither to nothingness. She stood watch there with awe and disgust until it became a small collection of blue, and it finally began to fizzle, like peroxide on a severe cut, as the small portion of Jenova saw its last seconds.  And then, the part of Cloud that had been implanted in him by the scientist, Hojo, and the one part of him that Tifa had _not_ known since they were little, disappeared forever. Tifa flushed the toilet, seemingly for the sake of doing so, and left the room.

*  *  *  *  *

          "W…what is that!?" came a cry from a tall dark-haired man dressed in white. He backed away several steps, finally falling backwards over a surgical table with a loud series of clangs. A bubbling blue liquid lay on the floor beside an unconscious Red XIII.

The other doctor in the room, an only slightly shorter blond, simply stared, dumbfounded.  "S…should we try to clean it up? I've never seen a creature quite like this, so… maybe it's normal for this to happen."

          The first doctor climbed to his feet, stepping around the wildly scattered surgical tools to stare at the mess with his companion. "I don't know about you, but I'm not touching that. Call the janitor."

          The second doctor nodded to his colleague and called the janitor on the intercom across the room. Moments later, the grey-clad janitor walked in the room, looked at the mess on the floor, then looked at the doctors in disbelief. "_That_?" was his only response. Both doctors nodded. The janitor, a stout man with hair resembling that of the first doctor coming out from underneath a grey cap matching his suit, looked again at the two taller men before sighing and bringing his water bucket and mop over to the spot next to the bed. _They don't pay me enough for this crap,_ was the thought that went through his head at he brought the mop down on top of the blue liquid. All three men stared in horror as the ragged mop disintegrated down to the handle. The janitor dropped the wooden rod, jumped back, and shot a look of dismay at the two wide-eyed doctors.

          The blonde doctor was the first to speak. "Um… okay, that didn't quite work. What now?"

          The taller doctor tilted his head to the side as he made an important observation. "Is it… is it getting smaller?"

          The other two men blinked a couple times before the fact sunk in. "Yeah," said the blond doctor, "you're right."

          None of the three men wanting to make a move, they stood by and watched as the Jenova mass withered away, its dying hiss partially covered up by the steady beeping of the heart monitor, which, none of the doctors seemed to notice, had begun to pick up in pace.

          The janitor was the first to notice, as the doctors stared at the floor where Jenova cells had been seconds before. "Um… I think the thingy is uh," he trailed off, but motioned to the heart monitor, which was enough to get the doctors' attention.

          Both doctors rushed over to the inanimate creature, Red XIII, and wildly began checking every monitor in the room for information on what was going on, as the heart monitor continued to race forward.

          "BEEP…BEEP…BEEP..BEEP..BEEP.BEEP.BEEP" the heart monitor complained.

"Vital signs are dropping fast! What the hell's going on, here?" shouted the dark-haired doctor.

"I…I don't know!" the blond doctor shouted back. "None of this makes sense! We're already doing everything we can for him! If he can't pull through on his own…"

"BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP" the monitor continued to protest, screaming for attention.

"This is all we have left," the taller doctor said in defeat, holding up a small glass vial and a needle. "I'm going to give him a Hi-Potion IV. It'll help a little, but if his body can't hold up on its own, it won't do any good. We've done all we can do." He said sadly, even as the heart monitor continued to quicken its pace, and the janitor watched from the back of the room, a grave look on his face. The doctor carefully and skillfully took the back of Red XIII's neck and injected the fluid.

"BEE-BEE-BEE-BEE-BEE-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…." the monitor moaned.

"Dammit, we're losing him!" The blond quickly and instinctively grabbed the set of electrical paddles at bedside, preparing to give Red XIII, otherwise known as Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon, son of Seto, the great warrior, his final chance for survival. "It's now or never, buddy." He said quietly as he rolled the creature on his back and lowered the paddles to his exposed chest. The paddles made a whining sound as they charged and then his body pulsed as they passed an electric shock through him.

*  *  *  *  *

          Despite everything that had happened, Tifa couldn't help but smirk at the magazine article she was reading. She was much more relaxed, now, having heard the doctor tell her Cloud was going to be fine. Upon hearing this, Cid and Barrett decided to get some much-needed rest, so they reserved a couple of rooms at the inn. Tifa, however, wanted to be there when Cloud woke up.

As she waited in room 211 for his awakening, she came across an article about Shinra's electricity monopoly, and whether or not it was morally right. The article seemed to stick up for Shinra, not surprising, since anyone who spoke out against Shinra usually paid with lives.  It was an outdated issue, a few months before they had destroyed reactor number 1. President Shinra was all over the article, talking about "keeping the peace" in Midgar, and "protecting the citizens," and the real kicker, "serving the community." She shook her head with a smile and looked out the window, which gave a good view of the top half of the now mostly destroyed city of Midgar.

"Yeah, guess they got what was coming to them, huh?" came a voice in the room. Tifa looked alertly to Cloud, who was still passed out in his bed. Instinctively, she then looked over to the doorway and spotted the source of the voice. It was a slender, dark-haired man, dressed in a classy blue suit, looking very professional. His face was uncertain, as if unsure of how she'd react to seeing him.

Tifa looked confused at first. "Do I know…" she trailed off as his image clicked in her mind, and her expression changed. "Reeve."

Reeve nodded. "Yeah. No tricks, no spies, no stuffed animals with intense fighting abilities. Just me." He motioned out the window to Midgar. "Not like I have anyone to work for anymore. I just wanted to see how everyone was doing, since Cait Sith was out of commission, and I don't have a replacement to send this time." His gaze turned to Cloud. "How is he?"

Ignoring the question, Tifa's expression turned cold and hard as she crossed her arms. "You expect me to trust you? How many times did you betray us?"

The dark-haired man nodded, obviously not expecting this to be a walk in the park. "About half a dozen. Although it's not like I was ever working FOR you, so I don't know if you'd call it betrayal." Tifa's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, but Reeve still continued. "I remember each time I had to do it, and I regret it, Tifa. I liked you guys. Even Barrett, and as tough as he was with me, I think that's really saying something."

Tifa's expression was unchanged, though she was secretly taken aback, particularly about the fact that the Shinra Executive would use their names so easily. It was one thing hearing Cait Sith call them by their first names, and although she knew it was no different coming from Reeve, it still felt odd.

The man sighed. "I understand where you're coming from. I don't have the right to judge you if you don't trust me. But let me just ask you something Tifa."

"What is it?" Tifa asked, expressionless.

"Would you have had me disobey my orders, and help you against Shinra?  It's not like I'm a Shinra loyalist to the end; I would have done it, if it weren't for one minor detail. They would have gotten somebody else to do it, and that person probably would have killed you in your sleep. After that, not only would they have killed me, they would have also killed…" He was cut short by the voice of a young girl, no older than four or five.

"Auntie Tifa!" shouted the gleeful voice of a young brown haired girl as she ran towards the woman. Reeve looked at Tifa and mouthed the word "her." Tifa's eyes widened slightly, but then focused on the girl in front of her.

Tifa's face lit up upon seeing the girl. "Marlene!" she cried joyfully, picking up the young girl with a hug and resting her on her hip.  "Ooh, I missed you, Marlene. Your papa's gonna be awfully happy to see you, too."

"Where is Papa?" Marlene asked sweetly.

"He got sleepy, but we'll go visit him in a few minutes, okay?"

Marlene nodded with a smile, and Tifa let her back down to the ground.

Reeve smiled sincerely at the reunion before him. "Didn't I tell you to wait outside?" he knelt and asked the young girl.

"Yes, Uncle Reeve. But Auntie Tifa was in here!"

Tifa quirked an eyebrow at the dark-haired man. "Uncle Reeve?"

Reeve brought himself back to full height and shrugged with a grin. "Reno started it, and it just kinda stuck. She's been calling me that ever since."

Tifa blinked. "Reno… the Turk?"

Reeve nodded. "Yeah. The Turks and I kinda took turns baby sitting the little imp. She and Elena got real close, too." He knelt down again to Marlene with a smile. "Isn't that right, Marlene?"

Marlene also smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh!" She turned to Tifa. "Elena let me makeup her face!"

Reeve snorted, trying to conceal a laugh, which earned him another raised eyebrow from Tifa. He dug around his coat pockets until he pulled out two small photographs. "Here. She was actually a good enough sport to let us take a picture of her afterwards."

Tifa took the pictures and looked at the top one. She covered her mouth quickly to keep from cracking up. The short-haired blonde woman in the picture sported wildly drawn lipstick all around her mouth and a little bit up the sides of her nose. Her left cheek was a showcase for what appeared to be scribbles with an eyeliner pencil. Most of her face was unusually colored, showing evidence of Marlene's fascination with different colors of blush. Marlene sat atop the woman's shoulders with a huge grin, obviously laughing her head off, and even Elena seemed to be enjoying herself, regardless of the state of her face.

Reeve grinned at Tifa's reaction to the picture, which had now turned to restrained giggling. Tifa took a look at the picture behind the first one, and her expression was one of confusion at first. "What's this one?" she asked.  The picture seemed to be nothing more than a dark brown circle with bright red scribbles all over it.

Reeve grinned wider. "Look closer."

Tifa looked again at the picture, and started grinning as she realized what the picture was. "Is that…"

Reeve nodded. "We caught Rude sleeping at his desk, and Marlene already had the lipstick, so Reno picked her up and… that happened. It took him two hours after he woke up to realize it was there."

"Was he mad?" Tifa asked, a little concerned.

Reeve laughed. "Who, Rude? No, no, no. He's actually a really nice, levelheaded guy. Him and Marlene got pretty close, too." Reeve lowered his voice so Marlene couldn't hear. "She knocked us all for a loop when she asked why Rude looked more like Papa than any of the rest of us."

Tifa giggled. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. Reno offered to take her out for ice cream, and she forgot all about it. We figured we'd let Barrett handle that one."

Tifa handed back the pictures and her face turned thoughtful. "You… you guys really took good care of her, didn't you?"

Reeve nodded. "She was a little angel, especially considering the circumstances we held her under. We never intended to hurt her. It's easy to place a label on everyone in Shinra, just because a few of the higher-ups have some twisted ideals. But a few bad apples doesn't spoil the whole bunch, as they say. The Turks are good people, even Tseng when he was alive. Like me, just because they work for Shinra doesn't mean they don't have a heart. There were quite a few people like that, that you probably didn't even know about."

Tifa sighed. "I know. But let's not get into that right now, we'll discuss it later." She jerked her head slightly towards Marlene, and Reeve nodded, getting her point.

Tifa turned to Marlene. "So, how about going and seeing Papa now, Marlene?"

Marlene, who had been sitting in a chair looking at Cloud, her legs dangling, smiled and hopped down. "Yeah!" She shouted, running over to the two adults, wondering which of them was going to take her. Tifa looked over to Cloud with a troubled expression.

Reeve looked over to the bed with an unconscious Cloud in it, then looked back to Tifa, still wearing that look, and smiled softly. "C'mon, Marlene, let's go see Papa." He put out a hand, which Marlene took without hesitation, and they walked from the room.

Just as Tifa picked up her magazine and went to sit down, Reeve poked his head back around the corner. "Oh, and Tifa?"

Tifa's head jerked back over to the doorway in surprise. "What is it?"

"Everyone can see you two love each other. Don't go forever just neglecting it." He said, and then his face disappeared again. Tifa just collapsed in her chair and sighed, raising her magazine to rest on her face. Having not slept for a day and a half, she was completely exhausted, and sleep quickly claimed her.

*  *  *  *  *

          "For the last time, I'm FINE! Just let me outta here, I don't need your crappy treatment!" shouted a very testy Wutian girl. Rie, the doctor assigned to Yuffie Kisaragi hated her job at the moment.  Being from Wutai herself, she had dark, straight hair, brown eyes, and wasn't very tall. She looked to be around 35. Upon seeing the obviously Wutian name Yuffie, the woman figured it would be nice to talk to someone from her hometown. She didn't recognize the name at first, though she should have. Yuffie was the future Lady of Wutai, and she had a bad reputation at home for being a pain to deal with. The doctor was now learning about this reputation firsthand.

          _I'm glad I left Wutai,_ she thought to herself, as Yuffie glared irritably at her. _This girl hasn't been the least bit cooperative, and she's gonna rule it someday.  Why couldn't I have been assigned to that cute blond guy that came in with her? Oh, well._  She put on a fake smile and tried again.  "Miss Kisaragi,"

          "_Lady_ Kisaragi." Yuffie corrected.

          Rie bit her lip, eyeing up the surgical tools across the room, and trying not to wonder which one would cause her the most pain. "Okay, then. _Lady_ Kisaragi." She began, almost sarcastically, "Could you please change into this hospital gown?"

          "No." Yuffie replied simply, obviously eager to make this woman's life as much like hell as possible.

          Rie closed her eyes with a soft, inaudible sigh. "Okay. Could you at least roll over so I can _clean_ your wound? Just so it doesn't get infected. I know you're a tough girl, and you'd probably be fine without my help at all, but humor me on this one, okay?"

          Yuffie rolled her eyes and complied with the doctor's demands. "Whatever. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can get outta here."

          _That's it,_ Rie thought, _play to her ego. This arrogant bitch will do anything you ask if you throw a compliment her way._ She continued to treat the younger Wutian, which went like a rough negotiation process. By the time she was done, Rie was out 100 Gil and a Chocobo Lure materia. Yuffie grinned openly as Rie finished up bandaging the large gash on her back. The doctor was never happier to have left a room.

*  *  *  *  *

          For the second time in 24 hours, Cloud Strife awoke from unconsciousness. Thanks to the treatment he received from the hospital, his senses rejoined him much quicker than last time. He moved his left leg a slight amount, and in doing so he found the pain that had been plaguing him since he awoke among the Highwind wreckage was almost completely gone. _Between this,_ he thought, _and as nice as this room is, I'd say this hospital is actually pretty good. Must just look shabby because everyone in the region goes to Midgar for treatment._

          His eyes drifted around the room, and finally rested on Tifa, laid back, fast asleep, mouth open, and even snoring softly. A magazine was on the floor next to her. He smiled, knowing she stayed with him the whole time he was resting. This thought brought his attention to a troubling concept. _What the hell just happened to me?_ He remembered everything, the temporary blindness, the throwing up, but he didn't have any answers as to what it all meant.

"Tifa?" Cloud said in a normal tone voice, trying to wake the woman out of her repose. She gave no response.

Cloud tried again, a little louder and more persistent. "Tifa? Hey, Teef! Wake up!" Again, the brunette gave no sign of even acknowledging his existence.

Cloud was beginning to get frustrated. Much as he hated to wake Tifa up, since he knew how worn out she must be, he needed some answers. The stationary IV next to his bed pretty much assured that he wouldn't be going over and shaking her to get her up. He looked around for another option and grinned as he found one and got a mischievous idea. Someone had left a glass of ice water next to his bed, possibly even for him. Reaching for the glass, he pulled out a single ice cube, half melted. It slipped around in his grip, but he was able to get a decent handle on it, and he lobbed it towards Tifa. It landed off to the side of her chair, having no effect. He grabbed another and lobbed it. He grinned, knowing his attempt would be successful this time. The watered-down ice cube landed precisely between her shoulders, and quickly slid precisely down her breastbone, until it disappeared down her shirt.

Tifa's eyes shot open at the sudden change in temperature. She shrieked and jumped up, but it made no difference. The ice cube had already melted down the front of her white top, leaving a wet trail descending and finally, pooling in it's resting place at the very peak of her chest.

Cloud couldn't help but smirk at her reaction as she looked at him. He smiled inwardly. _I always wanted to do that._ "Good morning, Tifa," the blond man said casually, as if nothing had happened.

"Good morning, Cloud. Feeling better?" Tifa replied sweetly, contrary to what Cloud expected.

Taken by surprise at Tifa's cheerfulness, Cloud became a little hesitant. "Uh, yeah. I feel fine. My leg feels much better. How are you?"

Tifa slowly started to walk towards him, with a tempting little twist in her step. "Oh, I'm fine, Cloud. You say your leg's all better, huh?" she asked him, with a trace amount of sensuality in her voice.

Cloud swallowed and nodded, keeping his eyes on her very intently.

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear it." She said, her voice now noticeably lustful. She lightly ran a hand up his leg as she walked up to his side, making him shiver a little. "So…  that didn't hurt at all, did it?"

Cloud shook his head, and began to enjoy this situation that he unwittingly put himself in. "No, Tifa, not at all. That felt pretty good, actually."

Tifa grinned at him, obviously satisfied with his response. "What about this, then?" she asked as she twirled a finger around on his chest.

"That's even better, Tifa." Cloud said, also picking up a lustful tone.

Tifa grinned, her eyes becoming feral, and she leaned over him, bending down to his ear, and giving him an easy look down her shirt.  "If you wanted to put an ice cube down my shirt," she asked, "you should have just asked. I always hoped you might want to, if you know what I mean." She stood back to full height, smiling down on him.

Cloud's eyes widened, and he began to wonder if this was going where he thought it was going. "Tifa, I…" he began, but Tifa put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

Cloud, his awareness dulled by this sudden passion from Tifa, paid more attention to her left hand at his lips than her right hand, which snuck towards a table at his bedside. Her left hand slowly crept behind his head, and she leaned down again, as if to kiss him.

"Don't talk. Just show me how alright you are, right now." She said in a husky whisper.

Cloud dropped his jaw. "Right now? Here?" he asked, clearly shocked at her haste.

Tifa nodded. "I can't take it anymore, Cloud. I need you now." She moaned, leaning in a little closer to him.

Cloud paused, then shrugged. "Well, okay. Now it is, then." He said softly. He pulled himself up, and had nearly reached her tempting lips, when Tifa pulled back quickly and her right hand came flying down towards his head, bringing with it the ice water in his glass at bedside. Cloud shot up straight in his bed, soaked down to his shoulders.

"Serves you right, Cloud." Tifa said teasingly, an elated smile on her face at the success of her revenge plan. "That oughta teach you a lesson. If not, I'll spell it out for you. This," she smacked her rear end in a tantalizing gesture, "and these," she jiggled her chest, plainly trying to do everything in her power to taunt him in his defeated position, "are off-limits until further notice. Got it?"

Cloud stared, a blank, confused, and generally disappointed look plastered on his face, his jaw hanging limply.

"Oh, and try anything like that again, and," Tifa cracked her knuckles, "I won't play around teasing you. I'll just kick the crap out of you."

Cloud nodded, and finally picked up his jaw. Eager to put behind him that humiliation, he asked the question he wanted to ask in the first place. "So, Tifa, why am I in here, anyway? What happened to me?"

Tifa lost her contented smile as the question entered her mind. She hesitated as she tried to pick the best words for her response. "Well… Cloud, I'm not sure, but… I'm pretty sure… you got rid of your Jenova cells."

"So that's what I threw up? Jenova?"

"Yes, Cloud. At least, that's what I think."

"So, am I gonna be…" Cloud began, but Tifa cut him off.

"The doctors said there's nothing different about you now then there was before. You're going to be fine," Tifa smirked slightly and added, "but I bet you're not going to be half the fighter you were before."

          Cloud, still wet from the shoulders up, sighed in relief. "Good. With any luck, we won't need to do any more fighting."

          Tifa nodded wistfully. _With any luck…_

          A few minutes of silence followed, which was finally broken by Cid Highwind opening the door to the room, a stoic look on his face. "It's about Red," he said to the two of them, wasting no time. Their hearts jumped into their throats, and they could do nothing but breathe shallow as they waited to hear the news about their comrade.

Author's Note: Okay, I tried to keep everyone as much in character as possible, except Cloud. Let's face it, Cloud is clueless about women half the time. I'm trying to make him a little more confident, and I'm trying to establish a certain amount of playfulness in him, without having him be just a lecherous jerk. Cloud and Tifa have known each other since they were kids; they should be able to joke around like this, right? Anyway, please review, criticism is welcome as long as it's helpful. Let me know if you like where I'm going with this, and tell me if there's anything that doesn't match with the story of the game, like mistaken facts.  Next chapter, I start developing the plot line to THIS story, and stop patching up the loose ends from the game story.


	3. Reunions

****

Chapter 3: Reunions

"So you mean he did it, too?" Tifa asked, after Cid had explained what had happened to Red XIII.

"What the hell do you mean, 'too?'" Cid asked, confused.

"What you just described sounds identical to what happened to Cloud." Tifa said quietly.

Cid and Tifa sat in Red XIII's room, each in a hard, uncomfortable plastic chair. Cloud had to stay behind on the count of being hooked up to an immobile IV. The doctors insisted he stay in his bed, in his room, and Tifa helped talk him into it. They both looked from their chairs across the room to where Red XIII lay peacefully on a bed specifically engineered to hold four-legged creatures. His chest repeatedly rose and fell slowly.

"I'm so relieved he's still alive." Tifa said as she watched him breathe gently in his unconscious state. "I didn't think he was going to make it when you came barging in the room like that."

Cid smiled genuinely, a rare act that caught Tifa a little by surprise. "I didn't think he was, either. I came to get you when some doctor told me his heart stopped. I thought I was getting you for bad news"

The nurse who stayed in the room to keep watch on him spoke up for the first time. "His heart DID stop." She stated simply. "We restarted it."

Cid pointed to the electric paddles sitting nearby. "I didn't think those damn things ever worked. But if it had to be any time, I'm glad it was this time." He looked back over to Tifa, who had assumed a concerned expression. "What's wrong, Tifa?"

"Hojo experimented on Vincent, too. I wonder if he's alright?"

Cid widened his eyes. "I forgot about that! It's not like he was much to talk about himself. The only thing I ever heard him say about his past was 'Lucretia this, Lucretia that.' I say the man needs to get laid."

The brunette slapped his arm. "Oh, stop it, Cid."

Cid shrugged. "Am I lying?"

Tifa opted out of answering. "Let's just go check on him," she said, rolling her eyes. "By the way, where did you say Barrett was again?"

"He stayed at the inn. He seemed more out of it than any of us. He took a nap, I just needed to get outta here so I could have a cigarette."

* * * * *

"What the hell d'ya want?" said a groggy voice in response to the knocking at the door. "I don't need no towels, so get on outta here."

The knocking began again after a pause, but no voice followed it.

Sighing irritably, Barrett picked himself up off the full-size bed, and shuffled a few steps over to the door, half-sleeping. He swung it open without hesitation, his vision still blurred. Once his sight cleared, he found himself staring at a dark-haired Shinra executive. Not fully understanding his situation, he just stared at the man and muttered, "Reeve?"

"I have someone here who wants to see you," the man said simply. He looked to his side and motioned for someone to come.

What happened next would be more memorable to Barrett Wallace than anything he had ever been through in his life. Marlene walked up to Reeve, who knelt down and pointed up to the large colored man in front of them. "I told you we were going to see him, didn't I?"

Paying no mind to Reeve's question, Marlene ran straight to Barrett, shouting, "Papa!"

The sound of the young girl's voice was the trigger that snapped Barrett completely back into his senses. "M…Marlene!" He knelt down and hugged her when she came close enough, being careful of his gun-arm.

Reeve smiled and started to walk away without a word.

"Yo, Reeve!" said the voice coming from the room. Reeve froze in his tracks, closed his eyes, sighed, and turned to face Barrett. _Guess this was inevitable. He doesn't easily let stuff go._ He opened his eyes, shocked to see Barrett's outstretched hand facing him. Reeve blinked and slowly greeted Barrett's hand with his own. Barrett smiled uncharacteristically softly. "You awright by me, Reeve."

Reeve's shocked and confused expression slowly melted into a smile of contentment as he realized he wouldn't be running out of the building while dodging gunfire. "Yeah. You're okay with me, too, Barrett."

They released hands, and Reeve again turned to walk away, this time without objection. One he reached the end of the hallway, he found a red-haired figure in khakis and a loose white T-shirt waiting around the corner for him. "How'd it go, Reeve?" inquired the man as he fell in step behind the former executive.

Reeve smiled in response. "Even better than I'd hoped. That man apparently isn't as stupid and pigheaded as we all thought he was. Thanks for backing me up just in case, though, Reno."

"No problem."

* * * * *

"It's about time you people let me outta here." Yuffie muttered as she signed the required release papers in the hospital lobby. Her back was neatly cleaned and bandaged, but she had kept the same crimson-stained clothes on. She turned and headed out the door, until the sight of a familiar blond-haired woman on a bench made her dart back inside. _What the hell is Elena doing here?_ Yuffie thought, wide eyed. _Her and those other two Turks must be looking for us. If she picks a fight with me, I'm screwed. I can't fight like this._ She peered out the door again, being extremely cautious not to be seen. Elena sat no more than two hundred yards away. She had picked up a magazine and seemed immersed in it. She was not wearing her usual Turk uniform, but a casual white sweatshirt and a pair of faded blue jeans.

Seeing a possible opportunity as Elena read her magazine, Yuffie snuck out the door, remaining close to the building and keeping her face turned away from the blond Turk. She ducked into the first possible alleyway, between the hospital and what seemed to be a grocery store, hiding herself from sight. She poked her head around the corner of the building to get another look. Elena was gone.

"Well, that's that. I don't know what she was doing, but at least I don't have to worry about it," the young Wutian thought aloud. "Should have thought of this before I left the hospital, but I better go tell everyone the Turks are here."

"That's alright," said a somewhat sweet female voice behind her. "We'll do it ourselves." Yuffie whirled around and got an eyeful of blond hair as she saw Elena the Turk stand before her.

Yuffie, rather startled, stammered, "W-what the hell are you doing here?"

The blond giggled, which made Yuffie relax about an inch. "What, did you think we were gonna stay in Midgar? We're not idiots, you know. After we met up in the sewer, we made sure you guys took care of Hojo, and then we came here. And relax, we're not out to get you. There's no more Shinra, and we didn't like them, anyway, 'cept for Reeve. That wasn't anything more than a paycheck to us."

"Why should I believe you?" Yuffie asked cautiously.

Elena giggled again. "Well, for starters, if we were out to get you, I'd be fighting you right now, not talking."

"Maybe you're afraid to," the Wutian challenged, "maybe you want to wait until your little buddies are with you."

"Ah, you mean Reno, and… him?" Elena asked, pointing over her shoulder without turning her head. Her finger led straight to the roof of the grocery store where Rude stood steady with a handgun pointed square at Yuffie's head.

The young, dark-haired girl's face paled as she stared up to the Turk, who was in his traditional blue uniform. Elena motioned to Rude, who holstered his gun and jumped down from the roof, landing behind Yuffie and cutting off her only possible means of escape.

Elena smiled confidently. "You see, we could kill you right now. It wouldn't be hard. You're tough, but you can't take both of us."

"Well, we'll just see about that." Yuffie spat, hiding her desperation as she slid her feet into a fighting stance.

The light-haired Turk suppressed a laugh. "You can't be serious. You just came out of the hospital. You're in no condition to fight us. Besides, we're not here to fight you, I already told you that. If we wanted you dead, you would have been ten minutes ago."

Yuffie, unimpressed, continued her interrogation of the young woman before her. "Then why go through all the trouble to trap me like this? Just for kicks? You're Turks, you…"

"Not anymore." Rude cut her off in a deep voice.

Elena nodded. "There are no more Turks. I already told you. There is no more Shinra, so there is no more Turks. However, there is something we want from you. Take us to Cloud."

Yuffie narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"We want to set the record straight with him, and all the rest of you. Things are finally back to normal. No more Shinra, no more Meteor, and the three of us just want to live without worrying about you hunting us down. And I'm sure you'd like the same from us."

"Let's just get one thing straight right now. I don't trust you. But I'll take you to see Cloud. On one condition."

Elena raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Tifa, Barrett, everyone's in the room when you see him. And you leave your weapons."

"That's two conditions." The blond woman looked past Yuffie to Rude, who nodded. "Alright. Have it your way. We'll give you some time to get everyone together. Meet us back here in an hour." Elena said, and motioning again to Rude, the two walked out the other side of the alley.

The young ninja stared after them until they turned the corner, at which point she finally exhaled at ease. "What the hell," she muttered to nobody in particular. "This has trap written all over it."

* * * * *

The door to room 218 slowly pivoted open, allowing access to a long-haired brunette and a tall blond man.

Vincent Valentine, who had been lying awake in his hospital bed, sat up to greet his visitors. "Tifa, Cid. Nice to see you."

Tifa wasted no time getting to the point. "Hi, Vincent. Are you alright?"

"Of course. The staff here is exceptionally skilled. I should be out of here in little more than a day or two."

"Yes, but… has anything unusual happened in the last few hours?"

"No, Tifa, why do you ask?"

Tifa explained the events of the past hour, concerning Cloud and Nanaki. _(AN: I will be referring to Red XIII as Nanaki from this point forward. Substitute his name however you like.)_ Vincent seemed surprised, but when Tifa started stating her concerns for him, he smiled grimly.

"It was different, what Hojo did to me. Surely you must have seen what happens to me when I get desperate in battle."

Cid shrugged. "Yeah, you turn into some kind of monster and kick everyone's ass."

Vincent nodded. "In effect, yes. You see, Hojo was trying to make Sephiroth clones out of Nanaki and Cloud. Understandably so, you saw how powerful he was, and he would not have been so strong had it not been for the Jenova cells injected into…" he trailed off for a moment, and his eyes took on a familiar distant look. He picked up his explanation from a different point. "I was an isolated experiment of Hojo's. He used Jenova, but only in conjunction with the essence of the beasts that he injected into me."

Tifa and Cid both nodded along with him, feeling they at least had a basic understanding of what he was saying. "So, what does this mean, Vincent?" Tifa asked, clearly troubled by this explanation.

"It means… I need to be away from you all for a while."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"If what you say is true, then I, too, will be ridding myself of Jenova very soon. However, it will be very different from what you have seen at this point. Instead of releasing the mere cells as Cloud and Nanaki have done, I will be releasing exactly what was injected into me: the four beasts. Should I be with any of you when this happens, I shall be putting your life in danger."

Tifa giggled softly. "That's sweet, Vincent, but after all we've been through, don't you think it's a little late to worry about putting anyone in danger?"

The strikingly handsome bedridden man gave Tifa a solemn, serious look. Holding her gaze for a few minutes, he finally responded, "It's never too late to protect those you care about."

Cid's blond eyebrows went up at this statement, but he wisely stayed silent. He knew enough about Vincent's past to know what he was really talking about.

Tifa nodded, also understanding the subliminal message encoded in his message. "Just promise me you'll be okay."

Vincent said nothing, and avoided the young woman's soulful, pleading eyes.

"Vincent," she said, her voice now slightly stern, "promise me."

There was a long pause, in which Vincent's eyes continued to direct themselves anywhere but towards his two comrades, especially the lovely brunette making the demands of him. Finally, he responded. "I'll… take care of myself."

Tifa hesitated, a little concerned that that was the best response she could get out of him. "Okay, then."

* * * * *

"They're _here_? In Kalm? And they want to see _me_?" Cloud asked dubiously.

Yuffie nodded. "And it seems they want a truce. I hate to say it, but it they'd wanted to, they could have easily kicked my ass on the spot."

"Which proves nothing." Cloud pointed out. "They could just need to use us for something… but I must admit, we've had times when the Turks weren't all bad, haven't we?"

Yuffie winced very slightly, remembering the time she had been tied up next to Elena in her home Wutai when the Don decided he wanted one of the luscious ladies for his own. The Turks had worked together with her fellow party members to save both of them, then secretly defied a direct order to attack Cloud once the ordeal was over. They weren't ALL bad, that much was true. _But,_ she wondered, _can they be trusted_?

(AN: That's all for this time. Took me long enough, eh? Well, I have lots of other stuff going on, too, but at least I'm working on it! All reviews are welcome, even flames if there's a point to them and something I can correct in my writing, not just random comments about how much I suck. Ch. 4: The Confrontation coming soon!)


	4. The Confrontation

****

Chapter 4: The Confrontation

Elena the former Turk paced impatiently up and down the alley where she had met with young Yuffie Kisaragi an hour earlier. Reno sat idly on a crate, and Rude held up the wall, stoically watching the twenty-something blond trace an invisible path in the alley through his sunglasses.

Elena finally let out a frustrated sigh. "Does she think we don't know what room Cloud's in? I mean, we're trying to do this diplomatically and everything, but we could go up there anytime we want."

"Calm down, Elena," Reno said coolly. "With as many times as we've fought with them, you think they would accept a friendly visit from us without discussing it first? You'd think something was up, too, if you were them."

"Well, yeah, but…" Elena began to protest, but Rude cut her off.

"No. Shinra is gone. Rufus is gone; Heidegger, Scarlet, Palmer and even Sephiroth are gone. Yet that group in there went through all of the same events, and they're all still alive, minus that Cetra girl. You can see they're smart enough to be cautious."

"Smart enough to be cautious, but not foolish enough to be pigheaded," said a familiar voice at the end of the alley. The trio turned their heads in unison to see Reeve, who had become the ambassador to the two parties, standing there. "They're ready to see you. But they're going to hold you to those conditions. Everyone's gonna be there, except for Nanaki and Vincent. They're still laid up in bed. And they've arranged for you to drop your weapons at the front lobby. They already dropped theirs, in good faith."

Reno shrugged. "We won't be using them, anyway." He glanced sidelong at Rude. "You're gonna be the most useful to us if they get rowdy." He grinned. "Think you can you take the girl?" he asked teasingly

"Which one?" Rude asked, an uninterested tone in his voice.

"You know, Rude, the cute one with the long hair and the nice rack." This comment earned an eye roll from Elena and a chuckle from Reeve. "Well, can you?" Reno persisted.

Rude hesitated for a moment. "We're not going up there looking for a fight," he said in a stoic tone.

Reno laughed. "Yeah, she'd probably kick my ass, too."

* * * * *

A group of five people stood in the room that had been home to Cloud Strife's rehabilitation for the past day or so, waiting for their scheduled meeting with the Turks, their former, and perhaps present, enemies. Barrett, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie and Cid all tensed up every time they heard a set of footsteps coming down the hall, always finding it to be a pair of nurses or a group of doctors walking along.

"Somebody tell me again why we're letting ourselves get set up by those bastards?" Cid Highwind finally said, breaking the tense silence in the room.

Cloud was finally out of his bed, but was still dressed in a hospital gown. He didn't want to look vulnerable, although in was in no shape to fight. He looked over at Cid, and said calmly, "Because, we don't know if it's a set-up or not. If they really just want to call a truce, it'll be better for all of us. I for one don't want to be fighting and fearing for my life until I'm dead, and I'm sure none of you do, either. I want to go home and be normal again, maybe even have a family or something." Tifa turned to him at this, but she remained discreet, save for the soft, touched look in her eyes. "And making peace with the Turks is part of the process of closing this chapter in our lives."

Cid folded his arms and leaned against the back wall of the room. "The damn Turks killing us would close this chapter in our lives too, now, wouldn't it?"

Everyone fell silent after those words were spoken. Everyone was thinking it, but nobody really wanted to hear it out loud.

Tifa found herself in a unique position, having seen pictures of the Turks and Marlene, who were seemingly getting along well. That thought sparked an idea. She whirled around, a motion that made her long ponytail fling in front of her, sitting over the front of her shoulder. Cloud pretended not to notice how attractive that made her look. "Barrett," she said, startling everyone in the room with the urgency in her voice, "where's Marlene?"

"The lobby. I got a nurse to watch 'er for me."

"Go get her. Bring her here."

"Wha… why, Teef?"

"No time. Just get her. Hurry."

It wasn't often Tifa took such total control of a situation, but when she did, she was very good at it. Even people who didn't know her would follow her directions if she issued them. Barrett promptly left the room to fetch Marlene as he was told.

It was a matter of only a few minutes before Barrett returned, the five–year-old holding his hand. Before anyone had a chance to ask what Tifa had in mind, a group of footsteps approached the room. Everyone leaned against a wall somewhere in the small room, with a clear view of the open doorway. A tense silence once again gripped the room, and this time it was met by Reeve casually walking in, followed by a redheaded man, a blond woman, and a tall black man with a shaved head. The Turks were there.

At first, no words were spoken at all. Glances were being shot all around the small room, between both parties' enemies and allies. Everyone seemed hesitant to fire the first word. Reeve, being the mediating party, looked more nervous than anyone in the room, a drastic switch from his usual calm, no-nonsense self.

Barrett had Marlene over in a corner, out of sight behind the bed in the room. However, being a curious little girl, she wandered around to where she could see the new tenants in the room, and her eyes lit up instantly. "Unca Reno!" she shouted gleefully.

Reno, who actually had his eyes running all over Tifa without her noticing (though Cloud shot him daggers burning with jealousy for it), snapped his head over to the small girl, who was smiling brightly at him and his comrades. "Hey, Marlene!" he said, his face also lighting up as he knelt down and reached his arms out in response to Marlene's clumsily young strides towards him. Reno scooped her up into a hug, leaving a bewildered and entirely confused look at the faces of Cloud, Yuffie, Cid, and Barrett. Tifa merely leaned back against the wall and grinned, content with her successful plan to gauge the Turks' trustworthiness by Marlene's reaction to them.

Elena smiled at the young girl, now resting on Reno's hip. "How's my girl been?" she asked sweetly.

"Good," came Marlene's simple reply.

Even Rude cracked his usual apathetic look to give Marlene a smile and talk to her. "Were you good for Uncle Reeve?"

"Yes, Unca Rude." (AN: She's five. Everybody who's not mommy or daddy is an aunt or uncle to her. Deal with it. ^-^)

Cloud raised an eyebrow to Reno. "'Uncle' Reno and Rude?"

Reno shrugged. "She started it, not us. It's just 'cause she saw us more often than anybody else when she was at Shinra."

Cloud stared blankly. "Why?"

Reno set Marlene down, and she walked over to Elena's open arms, much to Barrett's chagrin. "Because," the red-haired Turk began, "while we weren't following Heidegger's…"

"…Fat-ass's" Elena corrected.

"Right," Reno said with a chuckle. "When we weren't following Fat-ass's orders to screw you guys up at every corner, we were taking care of her."

Barrett, still a little confused at the way this was going, (he figured he'd be firing up his gun-arm by this point,) asked skeptically, "_You_ bastards were takin' care o' Marlene?"

Reno glared at Barrett and replied, "Would you rather we left her in a holding cell? We could have stuck her in the cell we had reserved for you, but we're goddamn human beings."

"Shut up, Reno," Reeve snapped, a move that surprised everyone.

Elena, sensing the friction building in the room, took Marlene by the hand and led her out the room. Barrett's eyes flared with mistrust at this, so Cloud motioned for Tifa to go with them. The brunette nodded and left, understanding the situation.

Rude tried his hand at diplomacy once the three ladies had left the room. "We challenged our orders. We were told to leave her 'in Shinra custody.' All of us knew what that meant for a girl Marlene's age. Scarlet would've dropped her into the cellblock where they keep juvenile delinquents."

"She's only five!" Barrett shouted, outraged at this explanation. "That's inhuman!"

"So was Scarlet," Reeve muttered.

Cloud turned and looked at Reeve. "What do you mean by that? Did she have Jenova, too?"

Reno laughed, lightening the atmosphere in the room as he did so. "Scarlet? No, no, no. Reeve just means she was a cold, heartless bitch, that's all. By the way, great job taking her out, Cloud. Saved us the trouble."

Reeve grinned and nodded. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Thanks for clearing that up, Reno."

"Any time," Reno said with a grin of his own

Cloud, while mildly amused by the banter going on, was also getting impatient. "Alright, cut the crap already. What is it you're here for?"

The expression on Reno's face sobered, and Rude's would have as well, if it had any room to do so. "We want what we said we wanted," the fiery-haired former Turk said. "I don't really like you, Cloud. I don't mind admitting that."

Cloud stiffened a little.

"But I don't have anything against you. Any of you. _Shinra_ wanted you dead. Not us."

Elena, Marlene and Tifa walked into the room at this point, but stayed silent and went largely unnoticed.

Reno continued. "I suppose we all owe you something for taking out Sephiroth and Meteor. But I don't really care what happens to any of you after this. All we want is to know that the five of you, plus the tall one and the cat, feel the same way about us." With that, Reno held out a single hand, attempting to complete the truce.

Cloud stared at the outstretched hand before him. He turned and looked at his comrades to see what answer was written on their faces. Tifa was encouraging, Cid looked skeptical, Barrett actually wore an uncharacteristic smile (which may or may not have been due to Marlene's presence beside him), and Yuffie… was she checking out Reno? Stifling a grin, Cloud turned and took Reno's hand in a firm handshake.

"Truce."

* * * * *

"Ugh." That was the only sound Cloud Strife was able to mutter as he plopped himself down on the bed in his inn room. Having been released from the hospital, he wanted nothing more than just to sleep in a normal bed. Sideways on the mattress and fully clothed, he let his eyes drift shut, at which point he understood how truly tired he was. He took little time drifting into blessed sleep.

Cloud was able to get himself a solid three hours of sleep, more than most of his team had managed at any point in the past two months, before he was awakened by a knock at the door. He looked at the clock. 9:37 PM. "Coming, coming," he said, walking over to the door. 

Cloud swung the door open, and Tifa stood on the other side, alone. He poked his head out of the room, looking left and right down the hall to see if there was someone else there. There was nobody. Cloud's mind wandered for a few moments, wondering what the woman before him had in mind at such an hour. Flashing a smile, he started laying on some charm.

"What can I do for you, Tifa?" Cloud asked suggestively.

Tifa rolled her eyes, instantly recognizing his tone. "That is _so_ not why I'm here." she said. "I came to see how you were doing, and apparently my question has been answered."

Cloud shrugged, letting his suggestiveness slip away. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. Would you like to come in?" he asked her, and surprisingly enough, did so with purely innocent intentions.

The brunette nodded, and took a seat in the tiny room's only chair, so as to avoid sitting on the bed. Cloud followed her inside and sat on the bed, for lack of options.

"So, how're you holding up?" Cloud asked as he took his seat.

"I guess I'm alright, considering all that's happened. I can't help but wonder if peace is really all the Turks want, but there's no sense in living forever worried about it," Tifa responded.

Cloud nodded. "My thoughts exactly. We just gotta move on."

"Yeah. So did you happen to see our young lady ninja friend?" Tifa asked with a grin.

"Checkin' out the redhead, you mean?"

Tifa nodded. "Yep. That's a side of her we haven't seen yet, huh?"

Cloud shook his head in the negative. "I sure haven't seen her check out a guy like that before. I've always thought she was a… nevermind."

Tifa smirked, knowing where that sentence was leading, and then decided to have some fun with the blond. "Of course, how could you _not_ look at Reno? I mean, he's _very_ good-looking." She sighed dreamily, making her act even more convincing. "I certainly wouldn't mind letting him…" she cut herself short and glanced briefly at a stricken-looking Cloud. "…nevermind. I suppose I shouldn't be telling you this. It's girl talk stuff."

Cloud found himself entirely clueless as to how to handle the jealousy that began to boil within him. Tifa noticed his expression immediately and smiled inwardly.

"Y…yeah, I guess… if you like that kind of guy, or whatever." Cloud stammered, obviously a little distressed.

Tifa laughed. "What kind of guy? You mean the handsome, strong, mysterious kind of guy? I can't think of a woman on earth whose type _isn't_ that kind of guy."

"Hey, the only reason I'm not mysterious is because you've known me since we were kids! Even still, I'm kinda mysterious, and I'm al those other things, too!" Cloud proclaimed, obviously very jealous, now.

"My, my, Cloud," Tifa said teasingly, "are you getting jealous? Just because I'm talking about Reno?"

"I am _not_ jealous!" Cloud said defensively. "And stop using his name like you know him or something!"

Tifa giggled, both amused and delighted by Cloud's reaction. She kissed him on the cheek, something that made both of them tingle a little, and got up, as if to leave. "Don't worry about it, Cloud," she said to him simply.

Cloud smiled softly, the feel of her lips on his cheek calming his nerves. He couldn't find the words to respond, but wondered how much this feeling would multiply if… no, _when_ he kissed her for real. And then, he decided not to wait until later to find out.

Tifa had already taken a few steps toward the door when Cloud lifted himself from the bed and strode rapidly to catch her before she reached the entrance to his room. Her hand had reached the doorknob, but then was violently yanked away as she felt herself being spun around. After 180 degrees, she found herself face-to-face with Cloud, who was now holding her in his arms. Before she could make sense of the situation, Cloud lips were upon hers, and his tongue already exploring the inside of her mouth.

Shocked, she nearly pulled away, but it didn't take her long to realize how much she had longed for this moment. Her tense, withholding body eased in against his, her defensively placed arms melted over Cloud's shoulders and around his neck. Her mouth, rigid and unsuspecting at first, graciously and passionately returned the kiss. Cloud's arms slid around the small of Tifa's back, making sure he could hold her close while their lips played and their tongues danced together.

After about fifteen minutes of the planet itself spinning out of control, the couple broke their long-awaited kiss. At least, that's what they each felt like. In truth, it was about fifteen seconds of unbridled emotion and desire. Neither of them was at all disappointed with the quality of the kiss, and both found themselves wanting more. When their eyes met, no words were needed. Simultaneously they moved together again, their lips meeting with the same electric jolt as the last time. Her hands slid up his body, exploring his muscular chest while his hands glided up and down her back.

Neither of them sensed the fact that they were moving farther and farther from the door. Neither was conscious of the fact that the room's bed had snuck closer and closer to their passionate embrace. So it was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, when the bed stopped one of the steps they were unconsciously taking and caused them to trip and fall onto it. Somehow they managed to remain focused on their kiss as Tifa toppled on top of Cloud. Their kissing had gone from a single, long-lasting kiss to shorter, repeated ones. They nipped at each others' lips, once in a while engaging in another lengthened kiss, as their hands took more and more liberty with their new territory.

It took a few minutes, but Cloud finally snapped. He was trying to keep away from this, but the passion and desire had become too great. He had to do it. Hastily he took a hand and slid it up underneath Tifa's tight white shirt, wrinkling it and lifting it to the top of her torso as he did so. As he took a handful of her chest, he squeezed it lightly, massaging it lightly, which made her moan into his mouth with a mix of surprise and pleasure. With a grin, she broke their kiss and rose to her knees, keeping Cloud straddled. "You win, Cloud, you got me," she began in a voice that was dripping with sensuality. With that, she slipped her shirt off and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "but I control you tonight."

* * * * *

A hand, outstretched in the soft moonlight, trembled. It gripped into a tight fist, released, and continued to tremble. Again it tightened into a fist, released, and trembled some more.

"Dammit! Stop it! If I am to do this, I have no margin for error. And no room for fear."

Vincent Valentine stood on the rooftop of the Kalm Hospital from which he had not yet been released. "Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, all of you. I thank you. But you must understand. If I am to move ahead in my life, I must do this by myself. I hope to see you all again." Vincent said to the empty sky. With a single leap, he found himself on the ground; three stories lower than he was mere seconds before. Under the cover of night, the mysterious dark-haired man left his former comrades behind in Kalm. After leaving the east gates of the city, he looked back briefly, then turned and drew his weapon, the Death Penalty, and headed into the rising sun.

* * * * *

"Heh, that was only a matter of time." Cid said with a smirk. The thin walls of the Kalm Inn offered little audible privacy to a certain pair of lovers who, coincidentally, were in a room adjacent to that of the pilot.

At the age of 32, the moans, groans, and various other noises – some of which was Tifa barking out orders in a commanding tone that _anyone_ would have _had_ to obey – were nothing Cid hadn't heard or experienced before. Still, he couldn't help but be impressed by what he was hearing. He looked at the clock on the wall and shook his head. "Damn, kid. Two hours, now. Kicks the crap out of my record," he said, making sure to keep his voice down so as to not be heard through the shallow walls. Tifa cried out with yet another obscene command, (AN: It's PG-13, I can't tell you _what _she told him to do. Use your imaginations.) and Cid laughed, still keeping his voice low. "But then, I bet that girl's doing a damn fine job of keepin' your attention focused, so it's not really a fair trial, now is it?"

Cid looked up at the wall clock again. "Damn. It's past midnight. And this is really none of my business. I oughta get some sleep." He lifted himself from his chair, heading over to his bed. 

BANG!

"What the f- ?!" Cid said in surprise, jumping slightly.

BANG! BANG!

The sound was coming from somewhere inside the room, it seemed. It was rhythmic, now, each bang within a second or two of the next. Each thunderous sound shook all the…walls. It was the wall. The one bordering Cloud and Tifa's room. And the noises coming from the young couple were now louder than ever.

Cid shook his head with a smile. "Guess that's what happens when you go as long as they have with those kinds of emotions. But Christ, I'll never be able to get to sleep this way. If those kids aren't done in an hour, I'm breaking them up myself. Otherwise… I'd better not say anything to them about this."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

* * * * *

It had been approximately three and a half hours since Cloud had grabbed Tifa's hand and gracefully whirled her into a kiss. Now they laid side-by-side, both their bodies exposed to the other, taking huge gasps of breath as if they were expecting the air supply to run out soon. They turned their heads to look at the other at the same time. They met with a series of short , lip-grabbing kisses, and giggled, each completely in awe of the other. For a while, they were able to simply stare at each other fondly, needing nothing but each others' eyes to stay mesmerized into silence.

Finally, Cloud spoke up with the topic that he had wondered about for what seemed to be forever. "So. They really are yours, huh? I never would've guessed, no offense."

Tifa giggled again. "Yeah, I know. I get that a lot, as you must know. Yes, they're mine."

Cloud nodded. "I noticed. I guess I really had no idea. I mean, I saw you when you were fifteen, and, well… then I saw you when we started this whole Avalanche thing, five years later. So it's like anything could have happened in that time."

"Shortly after I turned seventeen," Tifa explained, "I had a… well, I guess you'd call it a growth spurt, but there wasn't much else growing."

"Well then, Teef, I'd like to thank your seventeenth year for a job well done."

Tifa smirked slyly. "The results of my seventeenth year thank you, too, for a job equally well done. As well as a couple of other important years that I don't think I'm going to tell you about right now," she said, as she moved in to nibble playfully on his ear.

The action made Cloud smile and sigh contentedly. "Geez, after four times, you're not tired, yet?"

Tifa laughed. "It's okay. I've yet to find a man who can keep up with me." She poked him in the ribs. "You came close, though." She said with a wink.

"So… how many…"

"Four." Tifa answered, knowing full well what the next question was. "None of them lasted more than a few minutes. Or for that matter, more than a few months as boyfriends."

"Ah," was Cloud's only word in response.

After a brief silence, the impulse drove them each to say it at the same time.

"I love you."

Each of them laughed softly, and kissed once more.

With that, the starry-eyed lovers slipped under their blanket, ready to spend together the last peaceful night they would have in a long time, their bodies pressed together, and their arms enveloping each other.

AN: Isn't THAT about time? Well, I hope you've enjoyed it, 'cause there won't be any more semi-lemony goodness again for a while. Keep reading, because in the next chapter, our heroes leave this boring-ass town! But why, you ask? Where will they even go? Why are they not having any more peaceful nights? Ah, I'll get around to answering all that. Eventually. Oh, quick question to the readers. Which would you rather I do?

A) Write shorter chapters but update more frequently, or

B) Write longer chapters (about the length of the first two chapters or so) and update as often as I have been?

Thanks for the feedback in advance.


	5. Memories of Mideel

Chapter 5: Memories of Mideel

          "What do you mean, he's GONE?" asked the doctor assigned to one Mr. Vincent Valentine.

          "Hey, don't shoot the messenger.  He left this note, presumably for the group of people he was in here with," replied the nurse, Rie (AN: The same poor girl that got stuck with Yuffie, but my faithful readers knew that. J This is one nurse whose work environment will be much better once this group leaves.).

          "I see.  Well… we'd better let them know about it, then."

*  *  *  *  *

          DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE!

          DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE!

          Cloud's eyes drifted open, but lacked any alertness.

          DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE!

          DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE!

          A couple more rings is what it took to shake him into reality and realize that it was his PHS ringing at his bedside.  He sat up and reached over Tifa's body, sliding the sheets partially off her and exposing a part of her top half.  This brought a smile to his lips, and he brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead before picking up the phone.

          "Hello?" he answered, his voice full of sleep.

          Tifa finally roused in her sleep when he answered the phone, but she seemed to be dreaming.  "Mmmmmmmm…" she moaned, and sleepily went to throw her arm around Cloud, but ended up wrapping it around Cloud's knees, since he was sitting up.  "Just… one more time, Cloud…" she said through her subconscious before rolling back over to her pillow.

          Cloud would have been amused by this, but was too busy with concern about what the doctor on the phone had just told him.

          "O…okay.  We'll be right there.  Thanks."

          Cloud hung up the phone and set it down next to him on the bed.  He let out a sigh and fell back to his pillow, wondering what to do next.  

          At this, Tifa finally woke.  She rolled over and smiled at the sight of Cloud lying next to her.  His arm covered his eyes.  He had fallen back asleep.  The smile on her face soon became mischievous.  She slid out of bed and grabbed a pair of Ribbons from the discarded clothes scattered on the floor.  Gently, she took Cloud's hands and raised them above his head, through the headboard of the bed, careful not to wake him.  She took the first Ribbon and tied his hands together, keeping a pole between them.  With the other, she gagged him lightly, waking him back up in the process.  As soon as she knew he was awake, she tightened the gag to an acceptable level.

          Cloud stared at Tifa, knowing there was nothing he could do until Tifa untied him.  He tried to start talking, which just came out muffled moans.

          Tifa smiled and straddled his stomach, tossing her head and letting her hair form a veil over them.  "Good morning, Cloud.  I'm ready for more, so it doesn't really matter if you are or not," she said with a sensual wickedness.  She kissed his chest once, but his gagged responses were getting more urgent, rather than pleasured.  She hesitated, then lifted her head and saw that his eyes carried a resistant look unlike what she would have expected.  The brunette hastily untied her blond plaything and was met with the instant response of "Vincent's gone!"

          "What?  Why didn't you say something?"  Tifa asked as she hopped off him.  Cloud just stared at her.  "Oh, right.  Sorry about that." she followed up, blushing.  She began to dress herself, and Cloud did the same.

          "Don't be," Cloud responded as he slipped his shirt on.  "In fact, give me a rain check on that.  Please."

          Tifa giggled as she tied her hair, which had been free during the night's events, into her signature ponytail.  "Not to worry.  It's a fantasy of mine, has been for some time.  I don't plan on letting it go that easily."

          "Is that so?"  Cloud asked as he checked the room for any missing clothing or items before they checked out.  "That intrigues me.  You have any more in that dirty little head of yours that you might want to tell me about?"

          Tifa grinned mischievously and headed towards the door, Cloud falling in step next to her.  "You'll find out.  But to be honest, just having you at all has been a fantasy of mine ever since I was old enough to have them."

          Cloud stole a short but passionate kiss from her before opening the door to their room.  "The feeling's mutual, Teef."

*  *  *  *  *

(AN: I'm kinda gonna rush through the rest of this stuff, because I'm anxious to finally get them out of Kalm and develop some of my plot ideas.  So just know that there was some typical "Oh you're all right! Yay!" context in here, okay?  Hopefully I can make up for it.)

          The doctors at the Kalm Hospital had gotten to know Cloud and all of his companions in the past two days.  (It's a small town, after all.)  So, when the entire group showed at the hospital to learn of Vincent's absence, they brought them into a conference room used primarily for doctors' meetings.  Nanaki made a surprise appearance, limping into the room and sitting in a corner once everyone else had entered.  His front left leg was in a cast, but his presence earned smiles from everyone.  The group was reunited and mostly rehabilitated, minus one former Turk and one puppet master.

          Cloud pulled the note out of his pocket as Yuffie and Nanaki signed out of the hospital.  The doctor had given it to him, supposedly from Vincent.  It read, 

Allow me to thank you for everything… by doing this alone.  Should I find you again, this note will make far more sense.  If I do not, farewell.

_~ Vincent_

          Cloud sighed and tucked the note back away.  He and his comrades stood at the gates of Mideel, and for the first time in months, there was no clear destination for all of them.  He turned to face the group behind him, consisting of Tifa, Barrett, Marlene, Yuffie, Nanaki, and Cid.  Sensing some fast approaching farewells, he took a deep breath and asked, "So, where is everyone off to?"

          Eyes drifted back and forth, each wondering who would be the first to speak what was on everyone's mind: the party was finally going to disband.  The mood was generally solemn as this fact set in, although the words had not yet escaped anyone's lips.

Tifa walked up and took hold of Cloud's arm.  "You know I'd go anywhere with you, Cloud."  The comment earned a warm smile from Cloud, and approving smiles from everyone else.

Barrett looked down at Marlene, who was holding his hand.  She simply nodded.  With that, he said, "Well, I bet Marlene'll be awful upset if she leaves'r Auntie Tifa, ya know?  Maybe I'll jus' tag along with you n' the spiky head… if that's awright.  We don't got muchuva home ta go back to."

Cloud nodded and smiled.  "Yeah.  That's awright," he said, playfully mocking Barrett's speech pattern.

Cid was the next to speak.  "Well, you bastards have been nothing but trouble since the day I met you.  I'm gonna be so damn glad to be rid of you, and the sooner the better. As a matter of fa…"  He trailed off, his mouth still open.  The cigarette he had been smoking dangled from his bottom lip for moment, then toppled to the brick path beneath his feet, the tip still smoldering red and black.  One by one, everyone caught his stare and looked southeast, the same direction Cid was looking. As they did, each ended up with a similar reaction.

"W…what the hell is," Yuffie started before trailing off. Everyone knew what she was talking about.

Cloud's eyes went wide as the answer dawned on him. "That's… Lifestream.  It's a pool of Lifestream."

*  *  *  *  *

          A secluded mountaintop was the place he chose.  He enjoyed being able to look over Kalm, the remains of Midgar, and that Chocobo farm at the same time. His eyes closed, he sat waiting for his fate, whatever form it would take.  Prepared for a massive, painful struggle at best, he accepted his oncoming death in advance.  He laughed, despite himself.  "They say every man must face his demons at one point.  Ironic that mine will be true demons."

With that, from his meditative state came an inner light. Like a star shining from his chest, it gleamed with an unnatural intensity.  A grunt came from Vincent Valentine, as the first of his trials emerged from within him. The bluish colored star darted out from Vincent's chest, causing him to jolt as it did.  Vincent took a deep breath as the hovering star began to expand and take form in front of him, glistening with an almost liquid quality as it did so.

Vincent rose to his feet and his face took a stoic quality as he recognized the creature forming in front of him. "So it begins… Galian Beast."  He smiled very slightly, an action that any human around would have seen as sinister, and began loading his gun both with bullets and Materia.

He spoke aloud to himself as he inserted his Materia.  "Ice… Cure… Counter…" He looked up at the beast, which had nearly formed completely and its shine began to dim steadily.  "That will be all. I will save the real power for the real challenges.  Beast, you have been a part of me for far too long.  You have served a useful purpose, despite the nightmares and the anguish you have caused me. But now it is time… that you died."

Slowly, Vincent raised his gun, aiming directly between the creature's eyes.

*  *  *  *  *

          "So what the hell's your take on THIS?"

          "I don't know, Yuffie. Shut up and let me think for a second."

          "You can't talk to me like that, you spiky-headed bastard!"

          The discussion had been this way for ten minutes, everyone either too confused too say anything, or too confused to say anything useful.  The mix of stress and confusion about this new development was obvious.  However, now they had finally reached the site of the new Lifestream pool, which seemed to be perfectly round and about 150 feet in diameter, right between Kalm and Midgar.

          "Yes, I can. I always have, so shut it unless you come up with something important to say."  Cloud sighed.  "This is just like it was in Mideel.  It's Lifestream from the center of the planet.  Does _anybody_ have an idea on how to deal with this?"

          Nanaki spoke up immediately. "Grandfather would know."

          Approving looks exchanged from face to face, as this idea was silently tossed around between the party members.

          "Well, then," the blond-haired leader stated matter-of-factly, "I guess Nanaki and I are going back to Cosmo Canyon.  His gaze shifted off to the east a few miles, as he viewed the wreckage area of the Highwind.  "Unfortunately, that's not going to be as easy as it has been in the past.  This sucks.  We're going to have to take a boat from Junon, which is probably a riot zone with everything that's gone on with Meteor and Shinra and all.  Anybody still want to come with us?"

          At that moment, an epidemic began to spread.  It started in Cloud, and it spread to Tifa. From her, it reached Barrett and Marlene, who spread it to Yuffie, and finally even Cid caught it.  Each of them was trying desperately to hide the smiles which inevitably spread to each of their faces.  They all knew what it meant. An excuse had just been dropped into their laps to remain together for at least a little longer.

          Simultaneously, everyone started talking about how much they would be needed for this, and that Cloud was helpless without their assistance.  And so it was that Cloud and most of his companions remained together even after their battle with Sephiroth had concluded.

*  *  *  *  *

          "So, what do you think they're gonna do?" asked the red-headed Turk as he handed the scope glasses over to a dark-haired former Shinra executive.  The three members of the former special forces group and the executive stood on the roof of the Kalm hospital, given a clear view of Cloud and the rest of the group, despite the fact that they stood about a quarter-mile away from the small town.

          "Hard to say.  It's pretty obvious they're all freaked out, since it _does_ look like the same thing that hit that island town." Reeve answered casually.  "Chances are, they're going to find out.  And I have a good idea where they would be headed to get that information.  Thanks to Cait Sith."

          "Cosmo Canyon, right?  The place with all those hippies?" Elena chimed in.

          "Yeah, that's right."  Reeve answered.  "But…"

          Rude finished Reeve's sentence for him after he trailed off.  "But they have to go through Junon, because their ship got busted up.  And with Meteor destroying most of Midgar, and Shinra being torn to pieces, Junon is going to look like a war zone at this point."

          Reeve sighed and nodded.  "Yes. I'm sure the people have taken to the streets and started rioting by now.  It's been on the verge of happening for the past week. The only thing that kept them down until now was the fear that Shinra might not be completely finished.  But people won't believe that anymore. They can see what happened to Midgar, or more specifically, the Shinra Headquarters.  It must be chaos."

          Reno sat casually on the edge of the roof as Reeve handed the binoculars to Elena.  "So what does that have to do with us?" the red-head asked thoughtlessly.

          "Ooh, ooh, they're moving! Heading off to the east, it seems."  Elena reported abruptly.

          Reeve nodded. "Probably going to take that cave that the Midgar Zolom guards, just past the Chocobo Farm."  He sighed, and a long pause ensued.  Finally, the former Shinra executive pulled a Shinra standard-issue handgun from his waist, pulled an ammo clip from his coat pocket, and loaded up.  "Screw it. I don't have a puppet anymore, but I owe those guys big for making fools out of them like I did.  You three be safe.  Hopefully I'll see you again." He turned and tossed his gun hand sideways once in a small wave over his shoulder, his back turned to the Turks.

          Five steps later, a ricochet sounded, and Reeve was unarmed, his gun clattering several feet away from him.  Reeve stopped, a knowing smile hidden from view as he remained with his back to the trio.

          Reno's voice, rather irate-sounding, rose from behind the motionless executive.  "The hell do you mean, 'hopefully I'll see you again?' You owe us back pay!  You're not getting rid of us that easily!"

          "Reno… you know you'll have to work together with Cloud, Barrett, and Tifa.  We both know what they did, as well as those other Avalanche members they killed when they dropped the Sector 7 plate.  I don't want you planning a secret revenge on them.  We don't know what's going on yet, and whatever they're doing… might be more important." Reeve turned to face a fiery-eyed Reno.  He looked ready to explode.

          Reeve continued. "Reno. Promise me now you won't try to take revenge on them for what they did at the Sector 1 reactor."

          Reno gritted his teeth to get through his response.  "Killing them will not help me. It won't calm me.  Revenge never solves anything.  Only fools think differently.  Time… is the only thing that will make me forget my sister's death."

*  *  *  *  *

          Vincent raised his gun parallel to his face in a silent prayer for his adversary as the Galian Beast roared in front of him, ready to attack for no apparent reason.  It was a dumb beast, mindlessly attacking whatever crossed its path.  It had no knowledge of the fact that it had just emerged from within the man in front of him.  All it knew is that this man was here now, and it needed to be destroyed. Now.

          The beast charged Vincent in an unprovoked rage.  The dark-haired man sidestepped the creature's massive punch easily, his cape swinging out to the side as he did.  The purple Materia in his gun flashed with the chance to counterattack, but Vincent did not take it.  Instead he spoke to the clumsy beast.

          "I bear you no ill will, beast.  Please forgive me for this.  May you reenter the Lifestream peacefully."

          After recovering his balance, the beast again rushed Vincent without a plan of attack whatsoever.  The creature's huge fist rushed towards Vincent at an alarming speed.  Too slow. The Galian Beast's fist connected with air.  Vincent stood calmly ten feet behind the beast, his gun leveled.

          BANGBANG!

          The beast fell forward, a heavily bleeding bullet hole in the back of its  head, its right arm, right leg, and one right between the shoulder blades.

(AN: But wait… wasn't that only TWO gunshots? No, of course.  He fired his four shots so fast it just SOUNDED like two. Jeez, don't you people watch Trigun? *laughs maniacally*)

          Vincent bowed his head in yet another prayer as the creature stopped moving, as it gushed blood which had a color alarmingly similar to Jenova cells.

          Vincent felt the air around him heat up considerably as he remained silent with his eyes closed.  He opened his eyes to see what had caused the sudden temperature change.  only to see that the beast had risen to its feet, still bleeding profusely, and conjured a Beast Flare attack that surrounded Vincent where he stood. Dozens, even hundreds of small fireballs surrounded him, and he knew very well what they could do if they touched him. Calmly, the battle-hardened warrior looked around, only to see that there was no possible escape from this attack.  The small, airborne, explosive fireballs began to draw close to him, almost magnetically.

          With a sigh, Vincent bowed his head.  _I wish it hadn't come to this_, he thought as the fireballs moved within inches of him.  As the heat from the small explosives made his entire body sweat, Vincent dropped to one knee, seemingly defeated.  Vincent's eyes flashed as he saw the first fireball explode, and he thrust his hand flat to the ground in frustration at the exact same moment.  The first fireball triggered the rest to combust in a massive chain reaction, and Vincent was engulfed in a wave of flame.

          The Galian Beast roared with satisfaction at its kill, and it turned to go, ready for its next victim.

          "A clever trick, beast," came Vincent's voice from the site of the explosion.  The area had been engulfed in smoke, and visibility through the artificial cloud was zero.  As the smoke cleared, Vincent's form was revealed.  He stood unscathed among the scorched earth around him, and calmly brushed some ice from his shoulder. He had cast Ice on himself to neutralize the power of the Galian Beast's fire-based attack.

          "I had hoped to not use any magic against so lowly a creature.  But so be it.  Since you are a fire-elemental creature, I know what I must do now to stop you."

          The beast by now had reacted to the sound of its prey still alive, and had turned to charge Vincent once again. Vincent removed the green Cure materia from his weapon and inserted a blue orb next to his Ice materia.  As the creature drew within feet of the caped man, Vincent leaped into the air, and all three materia reacted as he fired a single shot.  The bullet whizzed through the air, taking on a glazed appearance halfway through its flight.  It struck the beast in its side, the area where a kidney would be if it were human, stuck there, and began to spread ice throughout the beast's body.         Sluggishly, the beast turned and tried to create another Beast Flare attack to hopefully catch an airborne (and thus, unable to dodge) Vincent before he hit the ground. The small fireballs began to appear, much to Vincent's alarm. The miniature bombs closed in on Vincent as he began to descend.  There was nothing more for Vincent to do to save his own life.

          As he accepted his fate, the flare balls disappeared entirely, giving Vincent free passage to the ground. As he landed, he looked at his adversary and saw why.  The ice bullet in the creature's side froze the blood in the beast's veins. As Vincent planned, the fire-elemental beast could not handle extremely low temperatures.

          Vincent stood over the beast, examining it for a moment before firing a pair of shots into its head.  He followed this by a final prayer.  He prayed for the soul of the wretched beast.  And then he prayed to keep his life through the next three battles to come.

(AN: Okay, the beginning was kinda dirty. So sue me for living out a fanboy fantasy. I won't make you sit though any more thoughts from my twisted mind, though. This is my first shot at battle writing, other than RPing in some online games, so I hope it turned out alright. Any comments are welcome via my suggestion box. ^-^

For those of you who are technical FFVII fans, answer me this question. What blue materia did Vincent put in his gun towards the end? Just a little quiz question for you.  As a little prize, if you can answer the question, I'll incorporate you as an extra in the next chapter, if you'd like.  Send me a character name, and I'll put you in it.  Think of it like a contest. Everyone who gets the answer and sends a character to put in, I'll put you in.  Send preferences on how you want them to interact, too. With any luck, (and enough positive feedback,) I can make them recurring! ^-^

Anyway, sorry it took so long getting this chapter up. College is something of a killer, but I won't bitch to you about it.  You keep reading and I'll keep writing.  I'd like to thank my loyal fans who have continued reading my first outing into fanfiction, and especially those who have offered feedback.  Shadow Reaver, Cloud-Bahamut, Decembers-sin, and Piccolo999, thank you the most for continued support.  I promise to try to get the next chapter up quicker than this one.)


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